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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421145">Abyss</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/actress4Him/pseuds/actress4Him'>actress4Him</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In which I whump Keith [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Broken Bones, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Trauma, Fantastic Racism, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff, Foster Kid Keith (Voltron), Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Gunshot Wounds, Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Imprisonment, Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Keith &amp; Shiro (Voltron) are Adoptive Siblings, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith (Voltron)-centric, Major Character Injury, Muzzles, My First Work in This Fandom, Nightmares, Nyctophobia, Orphan Keith (Voltron), Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Pidge | Katie Holt is Savage, Recovery, Rescue, Whump, broganes, but not physically, or just honorary siblings, sorta - Freeform, your choice</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:28:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,779</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421145</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/actress4Him/pseuds/actress4Him</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Okay, breathe.  Just breathe.  Gotta keep breathing.  It's not like this is the first time I've been locked in a dark room. </i>  It was the first time that it had been quite this dark, and the first time that it happened on an alien planet with a gaping hole in his leg, but that was beside the point.</p><p>OR </p><p>An injured Keith is imprisoned by Galra-hating aliens, but the flashbacks to his childhood are the worst part.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith &amp; Lance (Voltron), Keith &amp; Shiro (Voltron), Keith &amp; Voltron Paladins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In which I whump Keith [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1970656</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>138</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>688</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So, my introduction to this fandom was reading whump bingo fics...like, literally, I hadn't even started watching the show yet at the time.  It's really no surprise, then, that this is the first thing I write.  It was supposed to be a oneshot...then it just kept going...so I ended up dividing it into three parts.</p><p>If you're just here for the whump and angst, then the first chapter can stand alone.  The second chapter will be more whump from a different perspective.  The third chapter is where the comfort/recovery starts and where the fluff lives, but it also has it's own generous portion of angst.  The whole thing is already written, but I'll probably spread the posts a week apart.</p><p>Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Surrounded.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The friendly little welcoming party had turned hostile without warning in less than two ticks, and had multiplied just as fast. Now Keith was completely surrounded by the tall, hulking aliens, and the majority of them had blasters trained on him. He was trapped, and there were few things in the universe that he hated more than being trapped.</p><p> </p><p>Slowly, Keith raised his hands up above his shoulders, turning his attention back to the one who appeared to be the leader. “There's no need to get violent. I come here with peaceful intentions. You've heard of Voltron, right? I'm one of the paladins of Voltron.”</p><p> </p><p>The mob of aliens only inched closer to him from every side, and his heart rate picked up even more. <em>There's too many of them. I can't fight them all off.</em> “We're looking for more planets to join our alliance. To help us fight against the Galra Empire.”</p><p> </p><p>At this the leader laughed derisively, and spoke for the first time since his short 'welcome to In'aro' speech, before everything had gone rapidly downhill. “You claim to fight against your own kind?”</p><p> </p><p>Keith's heart plunged into his stomach. <em>How did they know? </em>“I...I'm not...”</p><p> </p><p>“Silence, Galra scum,” the leader hissed, a forked tongue flicking between his green teeth. “Surrender to us now, and you will not be harmed.”</p><p> </p><p>Every muscle in Keith's body tensed, ready to fight, as the ones with guns moved ever closer. <em>No, no, I can't surrender, I've got to get back to the Castle... </em>“Please, contact Voltron. Talk to the other paladins, to Princess Allura. They can explain everything.” <em>Why aren't they here right now? I never should have come alone. I can't get captured, they won't know what happened to me.</em></p><p> </p><p>The leader gave a nod, and two of the In'aroans closest to him lowered their blasters and lunged forward. Keith's bayard was in his hand in an instant. He sliced at each alien before they could get their hands on him, leaving oozing black cuts in their pale green skin.</p><p> </p><p>As expected, complete pandemonium broke out. Three more aliens were on top of him almost immediately, trying to grab and subdue him. Keith knocked one away, only for a blaster shot to whiz in front of his torso so closely that he could actually feel the heat off of it. A second shot bounced off of the armor on his forearm when he spun around to face the other two attackers, sending a jolt out to his wrist and elbow, but not causing any damage. The third shot, however, came from behind and found the small, unprotected spot just above his left knee, piercing through his flight suit with ease and bursting out the front of his leg. Keith stumbled forward with a cry of pain.</p><p> </p><p>That instant was all the In'aroans needed to latch onto his arms and force them behind his back, wrenching his bayard out of his hand. He struggled against them, but the aliens' upper bodies were at least as big around as Hunk's, and there was no budging his arms against that strength. Heavy manacles were quickly snapped around his wrists. They seemed to be attached directly to one another, leaving no wiggle room.</p><p> </p><p>“Please,” Keith tried again, panting from adrenaline, fear, and pain. “I mean you no harm. I'm not with the Galra, I promise.”</p><p> </p><p>The leader approached him, clearly unafraid now that Keith was shackled and being held firmly in place. “I don't need to know if you're with the Galra. All I need to know is that – whether you look like it or not – you are Galra. That's plenty of reason to lock you away.”</p><p> </p><p>With another nod to his soldiers, he turned and began walking back through the mountain pass from which he had originally appeared. Keith was pulled forward none too gently, gritting his teeth against another outcry as his injured leg was forced to bear his weight. At least it wasn't bleeding. That was the one good thing about blaster wounds.</p><p> </p><p>They walked for what seemed like vargas, first winding through the rocky yellow mountains, then out into a wide open desert that reminded Keith of home. He hadn't missed home much in the time since they had all left, but this was one of those rare moments where he would have given anything to be sitting in his little shack, alone in the middle of the Arizona desert.</p><p> </p><p>Stubbing his toe on a rock brought him abruptly back to the present. He would have pitched forward, unable to catch himself, if it hadn't been for the tight grip the two soldiers had on his arms. He should have been grateful for that, he supposed – a broken nose was the last thing he needed right now – but it was hard to feel grateful when all of his internal alarms were blaring, <em>danger danger danger! </em>People were holding him in place so that he couldn't move and that was <em>not good, never good, being held means getting hurt, I have to go, I have to get out of here! </em>It had been a few years since he had needed those alarms so much, and he had even gotten better about letting Shiro hold onto him on occasion without them going off, but all of that progress had flown out the window now.</p><p> </p><p>The procession came to a sudden halt in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. It was only when green lights burst to life in a giant circle around them that Keith noticed that the terrain under his feet had changed. It was covered by a layer of sand, but they were all standing on some kind of metal surface. The leader struck the ground with his staff twice, and vibrations started up underneath their feet, causing Keith to tense up even more. Then they were sinking, a smaller portion of the circle breaking away from the whole and carrying them down, down, down, the desert slowly disappearing from sight. Panic rose up in Keith's throat. He jerked forward, as if he would suddenly be able to break free and run and leap up onto the edge before it was too late, but all he succeeded in doing was sending fire shooting up his leg again.</p><p> </p><p>The last glimpse of the desert vanished over his head, and Keith found himself looking at what had to be cells – rows upon rows upon rows, all around the circle, going on and on as the platform sank lower into the dark. The first several rows had large windows, in some of which he could see aliens of various races watching them go by. Then the windows stopped, replaced by metal doors whose seams could barely be seen. The further down they went, the darker it became. The bright sun up above only just reached into these dark crevices.</p><p> </p><p>Finally the platform shuddered to a halt, then creaked slowly forward so that it was flush against the wall on one side, right in front of a cell door. A smaller circular platform, just large enough for someone to stand on, whirred up from beneath them, green lights around the edges illuminating the In'aroan it held. He hovered next to the leader for a moment, exchanging a few, quiet words, glancing back at Keith once or twice. Then he flew to the door and slid it open with the press of a button.</p><p> </p><p>Keith was marched forward again. He desperately did not want to go inside, <em>not in there, no, please, not in there</em>, but his attempts to struggle only got him shoved roughly into the cell, the extra jarring to his leg sending him stumbling to his knees and almost onto his face. An instant later, they were on top of him again, jerking his helmet off of his head and ripping away his armor until he was left feeling vulnerable and exposed in only his black flight suit. His boots and socks were the last thing to come off. The metal cuffs stayed.</p><p> </p><p>“Listen.” He tried his best to keep the desperation out of his voice, to not come across in any way close to the dangerous, aggressive person that they thought he was. “I understand why you're doing this. I get it. But please, all I'm asking is that you contact Princess Allura of Voltron and let her try to work this out.” The soldiers were leaving, and he shuffled himself around painfully to face the door. “Just tell her what's going on, and see what she has to say.” Allura was the diplomat. Allura would know what to say where his words had failed him.</p><p> </p><p>The leader merely sneered at him as the door began to slide closed. Keith tried and failed to get his feet underneath him, almost falling over again in the process. “We still need In'aro as an ally in this war!” he called out. “Don't let my blood get in the way of defeating the Empire!”</p><p> </p><p>Just before the door shut, he heard the leader mutter to another, “If he doesn't stop his babbling soon, feel free to shut him up yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>With an ominous clang, the door latched into place, and Keith's breath caught in his throat as the darkness settled over him. From outside, there was another creak, and green lights shone briefly through the tiniest of cracks under the door. But that light dimmed, too, as the platform began its ascent back to the surface, and continued to dim more and more as the mechanical sounds receded. When the <em>boom </em>of the platform locking into place at the very top of the prison echoed down like a rumble of thunder, there was not a sliver of light left. Keith blinked, and blinked again. But try as he might, there was nothing there for his eyes to adjust to. This darkness was thick and unmoving, swallowing him up where he sat pathetically with one leg still tucked underneath him and his wounded left leg stretched out in front.</p><p> </p><p><em>Okay, breathe. Just breathe. Gotta keep breathing. It's not like this is the first time I've been locked in a dark room. </em>It was the first time that it had been quite this dark, and the first time that it happened on an alien planet with a gaping hole in his leg, but that was beside the point. <em>Okay, if they actually contact the Castle... </em>He tried to ignore how unlikely that scenario actually seemed. <em>If they actually contact them then they'll have to get through some negotiations, but Allura and Shiro will make it work somehow. I'll be in here a couple of quintants, tops. </em></p><p> </p><p>He sucked in a deep breath. <em>If they don't contact them, then they're not expecting me back for four or five quintants. Plus they might give me some more time on top of that, plus they'll need to handle negotiations once they actually figure out what happened. So, unless they try to contact me before then and get worried when they can't get through...worst case scenario it'll be a movement or so. </em>His heart stuttered at the thought of sitting in the dark for an entire movement, but he quickly shoved the panic back down. <em>I can do that. I can handle being here that long.</em> His eyes shifted down to where his knee should have been, if he could actually see it. <em>I mean, it's not like I'm bleeding out or anything. It just hurts.</em></p><p> </p><p><em>And what if they don't come at all? </em>Keith clenched his teeth and shook his head violently, trying to rid himself of that little voice that he hated as much as it hated him. “They'll come. I'm the red paladin. They need me.”</p><p> </p><p>Hauling himself up off the cold floor, he braced himself against the inevitable pain and limped further into the cell, in the general direction of the metal slab bed he had glimpsed before everything had gone dark. It didn't take him long to find it, since the cell was only a few paces wide in every direction. He perched on it carefully, bracing himself from sliding down by propping up his right leg, and leaning against the wall in as comfortable of a position as he could find for his arms.</p><p> </p><p><em>Guess this is the last diplomati</em>c <em>mission I'll be going on by myself. </em>Not that he was complaining. The diplomatic side of things was not his forte, never had been. Sure, he had volunteered himself for this one, but only because he felt guilty otherwise. Lance was still in a cryopod getting over a mild concussion from their last battle, Hunk was too stressed out about his best friend being hurt to leave his side, Pidge and Allura and Shiro were busy trying to work on the Castle's defenses after it had taken a few too many hits, Coran was running back and forth trying to both help them and keep an eye on Lance at the same time, and that meant that Keith was the only one not doing anything important – <em>useless, as usual, </em>the little voice helpfully supplied – and Allura had bemoaned, “In'aro is right there, so close, and it would be such a shame to pass it by without trying to bring them into the Coalition when they have weapons and military experience,” and so Keith had volunteered to go alone.</p><p> </p><p>So even though he'd have liked to say that it was Allura's fault for wanting the alliance so badly, and for wanting each of them to learn how to handle diplomatic situations on their own, and for assuring him that the In'aroans had been a peaceful race for many deca-phoebes...or one of the others' fault, perhaps, for not volunteering to go with him...it was really his. He had gotten himself into this situation, no one else. If anybody else had come, they would have been able to talk themselves out of trouble, but that had never worked for him. <em>Besides, if anybody else had come, there wouldn't have been any trouble. None of the others are Galra. </em>He still didn't know how the In'aroans had known, but it didn't matter. They knew, and they hated him, and he couldn't really blame them for that.</p><p> </p><p>.o.0.O.0.o.</p><p> </p><p>Time was impossible to track. His best guess was that several vargas had passed, even though the pessimistic side of him said that it might have only been a few dobashes. The fact that his arms had gone numb from too much pressure on them was really the only indication of time he had. Standing onto one leg, he tried to shake the blood flow back into them, with only limited success.</p><p> </p><p>A sliver of green light flashed underneath his door, and he flinched. Then a small, rectangular hole opened up near the floor, letting even more of the green light through, and shadowy hands reached in to place two items inside the cell. Keith hobbled forward as rapidly as he could go, the pain in his leg suddenly seeming much less important than interaction with a living being.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, wait!” The little opening was already sliding shut. “Has anyone contacted Voltron yet?” The hatch snapped shut and the light vanished, the person outside not even hesitating at his call. Frustration mounted in Keith's chest, and he kicked at the spot where the hole had been, ignoring the resulting stubbed toe. “Come on!” he yelled through the door. “Would someone please just give me some answers here? Just tell me whether or not you're gonna call them!”</p><p> </p><p>Silence answered him. Growling, he kicked the door again, and again, this time minding his bare toes. When he had thoroughly set his leg on fire from standing on it for so long and accomplished absolutely nothing, he groaned and dropped his forehead against the door. <em>Who am I kidding? Of course they're not going to call. And nobody's gonna try to contact me, either, so I might as well get used to the idea of being here long term.</em></p><p> </p><p>Suddenly the light was back, even brighter this time, and he barely managed to straighten up in time to not fall out the door when it opened fully. Before he was even able to process what was happening, there were hands on him again, propelling him backwards into the cell and slamming him up against the wall. His vision somehow simultaneously went white and black as his head bounced off the metal surface and something in his wrist snapped. A scream that he couldn't even hear tore out of his throat.</p><p> </p><p>When he could see again, there were two In'aroans pinning him in place, and another leering in his face, just barely illuminated by the hovering green lights outside the door. “I don't stand for that kind of racket in here,” he snarled. “Good prisoners are silent prisoners.”</p><p> </p><p>“O-okay. I-I'm sorry,” Keith stammered, trying to quell the nausea churning in his gut. The internal alarms were blaring again <em>danger danger danger! </em>and the pain traveling up his right arm from his wrist was like molten lava, but he couldn't move, couldn't fight, <em>don't fight it, just take the pain, fighting it only makes everything worse. </em>“It won't happen again.”</p><p> </p><p>“Too late.”</p><p> </p><p>Hands came at his face and he cringed, expecting to be punched or choked, but instead something metal slid underneath his chin. His eyes flew open wide as it slammed down over his mouth and nose. All of the instincts telling him not to fight it were gone, complete panic taking their place because <em>oh quiznack they're muzzling me like a dog</em> <em>and I won't be able to breathe!</em> but once again, fighting only got him shoved further into the wall. He screamed again at the pressure on his wrist, but they were already wrenching the straps tight over his head, clamping his jaw shut and muffling the sound. Two more leather straps cut across his cheekbones, and another two wrapped around his neck just under his jaw. All of them were pulled as tight as they could possibly go, digging into his skin at all angles.</p><p> </p><p>The jailer stepped back, admiring his work. “There. That'll shut you up. If it doesn't stop you from banging around in here, though, I'll come back and chain you to the wall, too. Got it?”</p><p> </p><p>Keith nodded, blinking back the tears that had formed in his eyes before they could spill over and humiliate him even more. With a final snort, the jailer turned to leave, and Keith was released. The door slid shut, the green lights vanished, and darkness reigned once more.</p><p> </p><p>His breaths echoed loudly in the silence. He hadn't been able to stop panting since the muzzle was first put on, and he knew he was going to end up hyperventilating if he didn't stop, but his lungs still felt empty and he couldn't open his mouth and everything burned – his leg, his wrist, his throat, his lungs, his eyes. Keith slid down the wall to the floor, trying desperately to remember that technique Shiro had taught him for grounding himself.</p><p> </p><p><em>Five things you can see...</em>but he couldn't see anything, just the never-ending darkness. <em>Four things you can feel...I can feel...pain...and more pain...and metal, everywhere, metal on my face... </em>This wasn't helping any, he was making things worse instead of better. There was nothing to hear, or smell, or taste, the whole world was just darkness and metal and pain, and frantic breaths through his nose and tears pouring down his face unchecked.</p><p> </p><p>Finally his starving lungs had enough, and he passed out.</p><p> </p><p>.o.0.O.0.o.</p><p> </p><p>It was a disconcerting thing, waking up and opening your eyes and being met with pitch darkness. There was no sense of time, no telling how long he had been out. The side of his face was cold from where it had been touching the floor. When he twitched his cheek muscles against the feeling, however, the muzzle dug into his face and he almost went into a panic again. This time he sat up abruptly and dug his wrists back into the wall, letting the sharpness of the pain become his focus instead of the contraption on his face.</p><p> </p><p>Despite the fact that he had just woken up, he was completely exhausted. <em> Shiro would say that being unconscious doesn't really count as sleep. </em>It's why he would always send the paladins off to bed as soon as they got out of a cryopod. There was really nothing better to do in this place than sleep, anyway, so Keith slowly dragged himself up off the floor and hobbled back over to the slab. <em>Not that there's any difference between this “bed” and the floor. I don't know why I bother. </em>It was the principle, really. He had slept enough nights on the floor in his childhood, he didn't need to repeat it now.</p><p> </p><p>It took ages of lying awake with pain pulsing through most of his body, but he finally drifted into a fitful sleep. He was woken by a <em>clank</em>, opening his eyes in time to see someone remove the two untouched items from in front of the hatch and replace them with new. <em>Food and water, </em>he could see now, though his pupils protested against the harsh green lights. Swallowing as if to remind himself just how dry his throat was, he levered himself up off the bed as the hatch shut and crossed to sit next to the bowl and pouch. He stared down at the darkness where the bowl was, the scent of the food faintly reaching his nostrils through the muzzle.</p><p> </p><p><em>Is this some kind of sick joke? Giving me food that I definitely can't eat, just to torment me? </em>His stomach let out a whine. As much as he hated it, though, he knew that technically he could make it without the food. It was the water that would be key. Thankfully, it was a hydration pouch with a straw, and rubbing the muzzle across his shoulder revealed a few small bumps that had to be holes in the front of it. If the universe could be on his side for just this once, then maybe he could manage to make this work.</p><p> </p><p>His first thought was to try to maneuver his hands around to the front, to make his life easier all around. But after quite a few dobashes of writhing on the ground, trying to get the cuffs past his hips in any way possible, all he had accomplished was exhausting himself and making his knee and wrist hurt even worse. He was pretty sure that if there had been just a little bit of give between the cuffs, he could have done it. As it was, though, he resigned himself to picking up the water from behind, and carried it over to set it on the bed before kneeling down in front of it.</p><p> </p><p>Getting the straw through one of the holes without the use of his hands was way harder than it should have been, and he hated to think of how ridiculous he must have looked attempting it. Eventually, though, he succeeded. Parting his lips, he held the straw in front of his clenched teeth and painstakingly sucked in the sweet, cool water. It was slow going, since he had to wait for the liquid to filter between his teeth so that it wouldn't spill out his lips, but that didn't matter. What mattered is that he wasn't going to die of dehydration before his team came for him.</p><p> </p><p><em>If they come for you. </em>He sucked in a deep breath through his nose, trying to ignore the restriction of air flow that meant it wasn't nearly as deep as he wanted it to be, and squeezed his eyes shut. <em>They'll come. Of course they'll come. It would take them too long to find another red paladin, and the universe needs Voltron. Besides, Shiro wouldn't just leave me here.</em></p><p> </p><p>With that thought, he curled back up onto the slab and fell into a slightly deeper sleep than before.</p><p> </p><p>.o.0.O.0.o.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Large, rough hands. Grabbing, yanking, slapping.</em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> Angry voices. </em> <em>Brat. Ingrate. Good-for-nothing.</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Limbs colliding harshly with the floor.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> A door slamming. Darkness.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> A cold doorknob in his hand, rattling but not giving way.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Tears streaming down bruised cheeks. Please...please, I'll be good, I promise...please let me out.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Keith woke with a gasp, but the nightmare didn't fade. He was still surrounded by darkness, with no way out. From somewhere in the corner of his cell he thought he heard a sneering voice, that man's voice, and he bolted upright, scrambling backwards on the bed until his back pressed into the wall.</p><p> </p><p><em>No no no no no no, he's not here, this isn't real, this can't be real, </em>but it was so dark, and how would he even know if someone else was in the room with him? Maybe he chased him down, maybe he found him here, maybe he sneaked in while he was asleep and was waiting in the darkness to pounce when he was least expecting it.</p><p> </p><p>He was still aware enough that he knew how ridiculous all of those thoughts were, but he still couldn't seem to get them to stop. <em>Come on, get a grip on yourself. </em>He dropped his head back onto the wall behind him with a <em>thunk</em>, then repeated the motion, the bruises left from his earlier collision amplifying the pain across his skull and successfully beginning to distract him from the panic.</p><p> </p><p>When both his breathing and his mind had slowed, he let out a shuddering sigh. It had been a long time since he had had to deal with regular nightmares about that house. They still came on occasion, and with the similarities of this situation he really wasn't surprised that they had returned now.</p><p> </p><p>He didn't let himself go back to sleep for a long, long time after that. He was still awake when the next three meals came, which taught him three things. One, they seemed to come in pretty evenly spaced intervals, he was guessing in the morning and at night. If that was true, then he could use them to track how many quintants he was here. Having some idea of the passage of time was a huge relief. Two, if he didn't return his water pouch to its spot in front of the hatch, it wouldn't be replaced. Three, his eyes had decided that they really, really didn't like the sudden bursts of light, no matter how dim it actually was. On the other hand, he was pretty sure that the small, reliable breaks in the darkness and silence were the only thing keeping him from going completely insane.</p><p> </p><p>After drinking the water from the fifth meal he had been brought so far – making it, presumably, the end of his second full quintant there – he finally fell back asleep, unable to make himself stay awake in the dark any longer. Another nightmare followed, though not quite as terrible as the first. He fell into a bit of a routine after that, in what he hoped wasn't a vain effort to keep his body on a regular schedule and also keep his sanity. When the evening meal came, he'd drink some of the water, then try to sleep, waking throughout the night from nightmares or pain and drinking more of the water to distract himself. Before the morning meal, he'd return the pouch to the front of the cell, and used the new pouch to keep him going throughout the day whenever the hunger decided to be especially obnoxious.</p><p> </p><p>It was those vargas between the morning and evening meals that were the hardest to fill. He spent a large part of them pacing the cell, altering his pattern, first around the perimeter, then zig-zagging from wall to wall and end to end, then making figure eights. It made his leg hurt like quiznack, so he couldn't keep it up for very long at a time, but the rhythm of his feet, even with a limp, kept him from having to think too much.</p><p> </p><p>In between bouts of pacing, he had to come up with other ways to occupy his mind. He was sure if he were Pidge, he'd be working on some crazy equation or technical solution in his head, but math and technology were never his strong suites. Lance and Hunk probably had lots of happy memories of home to think about, unlike him, or maybe Hunk would be coming up with some new recipe to try when he got out. Food was one of the last things Keith wanted to think about right now. Shiro would probably meditate, which he did try, but he had never been very good at it.</p><p> </p><p>He did lose himself in memories a few times – the few good memories he still held onto of his dad, of time spent with Shiro before Kerberos, and of carefree moments in the Castle. It was difficult, though, not to let those memories spiral down into something darker, into either the bad memories or just missing the people in the good ones. Honestly, he hadn't thought in the past that he would ever genuinely say he missed Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Allura, and Coran. They were an odd group, and one that he still wasn't sure he quite fit in. But sitting in that cell, thinking about all of their oddities and wishing they were there for more reasons than just rescuing him, he had to admit that somehow, they had made it past his heavily fortified walls. Somehow, he not only liked them, but trusted them, and maybe even thought of them as friends.</p><p> </p><p>Rather than being a sweet, heart-warming realization, it put a pit of dread in his stomach. <em>Stupid. Haven't you learned your lesson by now? Just because you think of them as friends doesn't mean they think the same about you. Lance has made it pretty clear that he doesn't really like you. Hunk is nice to you, but he's nice to everybody. Pidge hardly ever speaks to you. Allura only tolerates you and your Galra heritage because you're useful to her. And Coran...well, same as Hunk. He's nice to everybody.</em></p><p> </p><p><em> Shiro's the only one you can actually trust to stick by you. When they come for you – if they come for you – when they come for you, it will either be his doing, or it will be because they didn't want to lose their red paladin and their alliance. The others don't care.</em> <em>They'd probably just leave you here if they thought they could find another paladin who was more like them.</em></p><p> </p><p>The more the thoughts went on, the more agitated he became, until finally he shot up off the bed in a frenzy. <em>I can't do this anymore, I can't. I have to get out of here. </em>He wanted to rush to the door, to throw himself against it until he busted through, but he was too afraid of the consequences. Instead, he focused on the cursed muzzle, scraping it first against his shoulder, but quickly giving up on that and dropping down to use the edge of the bed. Frantically, he pried at every side, but it never budged, never gave him even a fraction of an inch more room to breathe.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, he collapsed in an exhausted heap on the floor, feeling warm blood oozing from several spots around his face. At least it was a new sensation besides cold metal and pain. Staring out into the deep darkness, he hummed a cracking, meaningless tune, and waited for meal nine and nighttime to come.</p><p> </p><p>.o.0.O.0.o.</p><p> </p><p>The first thing he noticed when he tried to get up the next morning was that his leg hurt. A lot. Obviously it had been hurting the whole time, but unless he was walking on it, generally it was more of a throbbing pain. This was sharp, fiery, almost like the wound was brand new. It took him a few dobashes to make his way across the small room, just barely getting his pouch to the hatch in time to receive a new one. Slumping down against the door, he drew in heavy breaths, glaring down at the knee that he couldn't see, like that would somehow fix whatever the problem was. He wished he could just remain there and not have to move again. Unfortunately, though, the water was much easier to drink when it was sitting on the slab, and his stomach was a yawning chasm. He was forcing himself at this point to pretend that the water actually made that better, instead of just making him feel all sloshy inside.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually he gathered his strength and crossed slowly back to the bed, taking a few sips of water before lying down again. Pacing was definitely not happening today. Forget about circadian rhythms, all he wanted to do was sleep.</p><p> </p><p>When he woke again, he was freezing. At that point he had gotten used to the coolness of the metal against the bare skin of his face, hands, and feet, and his flightsuit had kept the rest of his body from getting too cold. But this chill seemed to have taken a firm hold of him, all the way down to his bones, and was racking his body with shivers. Even the sip of water that he took was far too cold as it sank down his esophagus and pooled in his belly.</p><p> </p><p>It took a long time lying there, wishing he had a blanket or could at least wrap his arms around himself, before the shivers subsided enough that he could fall back asleep. The next time he woke, he was still cold, but at the same time he felt like he was burning from the inside. That was when it finally clicked in his mind. <em>Fever. I have a fever. Great. Getting sick was just what I needed. </em>He didn't seem to have any other symptoms, though, besides being extra tired.</p><p> </p><p>It was probably almost time for another meal to come. Levering himself up, he hissed through his teeth as pain shot through his leg. <em>Oh, yeah. There's that, too. Which might mean that this isn't just getting sick, it's an infection. </em>Honestly, he was only surprised that it hadn't happened sooner. He hobbled slowly toward the door, leaning his right side up against the wall the whole way, and carefully placed the water pouch before crumpling to the floor to wait for the new one. Eyes shut, he leaned his head back against the wall, trying to ignore the fire behind his eyelids and the ache all over his body.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Today is quintant five. That's as long as I was expected to be gone. Maybe the team will have tried to contact me today, to find out when I would be back. If I can just...make it through this infection...for a couple more quintants...</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He ended up falling asleep again, there on the floor. The evening meal came without rousing him, which he only confirmed for sure after maneuvering painfully around to pick up the water behind his back. That took up almost all of his energy, so he gave up on the idea of going back to the bed and instead lay down next to the door so that he could reach the straw.</p><p> </p><p>The next vargas...quintants...he didn't even know...were a blur of sleeping and waking, dreams that seemed far too real and staring out into darkness with no energy to move. His lips were painfully cracked, his throat not much better in the dryness department, but he couldn't seem to muster the strength to lift his head and try to find the straw. His temples pounded in time with his heartbeat, joining in the symphony of his throbbing wrist and screaming leg.</p><p> </p><p>“Keith.”</p><p> </p><p>His eyes flew open, startled by the sound. <em>Shiro? </em>A grunt escaped his lips as he tried to voice the name.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey buddy.” The familiar face appeared above him, smiling down at him. “It's me.”</p><p> </p><p><em>Shiro. </em>Relief flooded through his veins. <em>You came. You came for me.</em></p><p> </p><p>“Of course I came for you. I'm gonna get you out of here.”</p><p> </p><p>The fact that Shiro was reading his mind didn't register with him anymore than the fact that he shouldn't be able to make out his features in the darkness. He was just so happy to see his brother again, to finally get out of this dungeon. He tried to return the loving smile, but the muzzle pulled against his skin painfully.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly Shiro's expression grew serious, angry even, and to Keith's shock his features morphed into those of Allura. “Actually, we've decided just to leave you here. You're not worth the trouble.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith's eyes went wide, and he shook his head desperately. <em>No, please! I'm the red paladin, you can't form Voltron without me!</em></p><p> </p><p>Allura scoffed and waved a hand dismissively. “We'll find another. Perhaps I can even fly Red, she was my father's lion after all. We don't want to ruin our chance at an alliance with In'aro, and they want you imprisoned. I can't say that I blame them.” She sneered. “Galra mutt.”</p><p> </p><p>Tears began to form in Keith's eyes as she stood and turned her back on him. <em>No! Don't leave! You can't just leave me here, please! </em>Allura paid him no mind, though, disappearing into the darkness.</p><p> </p><p><em> Shiro! Where are you? Please come back! </em>His silent pleas were ignored, and Keith sobbed until he couldn't stay awake any longer.</p><p> </p><p>The next voice he heard was even less friendly than Allura's had been. It was unmistakable, that deep, gravely snarl, and he knew exactly who he would see before he ever opened his eyes. That man, the man from his nightmares. His footsteps thudded across the floor until he was looming over Keith, belt folded and ready in his fist.</p><p> </p><p>“Good-for-nothing brat! I'll teach you to disrespect me!”</p><p> </p><p>Whimpering, Keith kicked weakly at the ground with his uninjured leg, scooting himself backwards until his hands bumped into the wall and pain shot through his wrist. Deep down, he knew it wasn't real, knew there was no way that he could be there, but that didn't stop him from being terrified. <em>I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry, it won't happen again, please don't hurt me! </em>He was suddenly a little kid again, cowering and begging despite knowing it would do him no good.</p><p> </p><p>“Stop your sniveling now, or I'll double the lashes!” The man stormed nearer, raising the belt over his head, and Keith did his best to fold in on himself.</p><p> </p><p>Before the blow could come down, there was a <em>clank </em>and the hatch slid open. Keith cringed, squeezing his eyes shut against the blinding green lights, and moaned pitifully. When the hatch clicked shut, however, the man was gone. Green spots danced in front of his eyes, but no other figures made an appearance. Only the dark and the metal and the pain remained, and the fire inside his body and haze in his mind.</p><p> </p><p>.o.0.O.0.o.</p><p> </p><p>It was not until his fourth or fifth time hearing voices that he refused to acknowledge them. He wasn't sure if he could open his eyes even if he had wanted to, anyway. The voices seemed to come from a distance at first, mumbling, then there was a mechanical whirring and light grew behind his eyelids. He whined in his throat, squeezing his eyes shut tighter and turning his face to the ground as the voices became louder.</p><p> </p><p>“...th! Keith, can you hear me?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Not real not real not real not real.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“...not sure...conscious...”</p><p> </p><p>A hand cupped the back of his head, and he flinched. The hand jerked away. <em>That...sure felt real.</em></p><p> </p><p>“...'s burning up.”</p><p> </p><p>“...leg's injured...you think...infected?”</p><p> </p><p>There were more farther away voices, speaking in harsh tones. Keith wondered distantly what they were angry about.</p><p> </p><p>“...just get him...Castle.”</p><p> </p><p>He tried not to let hope fill him at the mention of the Castle, he really did. After all, this was <em>not real.</em> But then one of the voices was murmuring reassuringly in his ear, and hands were sliding beneath his shoulders and knees and lifting him up off the floor, and it all felt <em>so real.</em> His head lolled against a smooth chestplate, and that felt real too, and it smelled real, too, it smelled like...</p><p> </p><p><em>Shiro? </em>Once again, the word came out as nothing more than a hoarse groan.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, quiznack, what is that on his face?” The second voice was a little clearer now, and definitely belonged to Lance. “I think I'm gonna be sick. Shiro, we've got to get that thing off of him.”</p><p> </p><p>“We will.” Shiro's tone was one Keith didn't hear often, a dark tone reserved for his most serious moments. “But he's too sick to linger here. Getting him back to the Castle is our first priority, we'll have to remove his...restraints...later.”</p><p> </p><p>One of the angry voices in the background sounded vaguely familiar, as well, but before Keith could place it they were moving. Light suddenly whited out his vision, even through his eyelids, and he cried out, burying his face in the chestplate as best he could.</p><p> </p><p>“...his eyes...too bright...”</p><p> </p><p>Something silky slid over his eyes, and he jerked, panicking at the unexpected touch. It did block out some of the light, though, and he let himself relax again as it was tied behind his head.</p><p> </p><p>“Shh, it's okay, buddy.” Shiro's voice was soft and close by. “We're just trying to help. We're gonna take care of you, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Though Shiro wasn't moving, he could feel them traveling up and up, and it finally started to sink in that perhaps this really was real, that they had come for him and were taking him home. That thought was only amplified as they jerked to a halt and there was a sudden explosion of Red's presence in his head.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <b>My Paladin. Hurt.</b>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Keith had never been happier to have the ideas of a mechanical alien lion pressed into his mind. <em>Hey, Red. I'm...okay.</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <b>Angry. Protect.</b>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>At this point, Keith wanted nothing more than to drift off into unconsciousness, but he rallied his thoughts for one more message. <em>Don't...do anything reckless...'kay, girl?</em></p><p> </p><p>Red's only answer was something along the lines of an indignant huff.</p><p> </p><p>Shiro was walking again, people were talking, and the atmosphere around them changed. Then he was lowered carefully to the ground and propped up against a wall.</p><p> </p><p>“Just go drive. I'll take care of him.” The third voice that he hadn't been able to identify was right next to him now, and was undoubtedly Allura, which took Keith by surprise. Of all people...Allura had come to rescue him? She had apologized for shunning him after the whole Blade thing, but still, it was easy to second guess whether she had really meant it.</p><p> </p><p>She spoke again, this time with the gentlest of tones. “Keith. I'm not sure how much you're hearing and understanding right now, but...I got a key from your jailers. I'm going to remove this muzzle, alright?”</p><p> </p><p>Small, gentle hands lifted his head forward off the wall, then began fiddling with the straps on the back of his head. In a moment, there was a quiet <em>click</em>, and everything loosened all at once. Keith held his breath in anticipation. The hands moved to the metal around his mouth, gingerly prying it off his skin. He let out a high-pitched grunt as it began to pull away.</p><p> </p><p>Allura sucked in air through her teeth. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>The next instant, the muzzle was gone, and Keith dropped open his aching jaw to let in a glorious burst of air. It slammed into his lungs with a vengeance, sending him into a coughing fit that would have knocked him to the floor if Allura had not caught him in her arms.</p><p> </p><p>“Shh.” She allowed his head to lay on her shoulder, stroking his hair, and he didn't have the energy to feel ashamed. “I've got you. You're alright.”</p><p> </p><p>“A...llura?” His voice was a harsh croak, rasping out of his dry throat. He wondered vaguely how many quintants it had actually been since he had stopped drinking water.</p><p> </p><p>The hand petting his hair paused. “Yes, Keith?”</p><p> </p><p>His mind swirled with fever and the intensity of everything that had happened in the last few dobashes, and he lost what he had even wanted to say. “You...you came for me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course. Of course we came for you.”</p><p> </p><p>“You said you wou'n't,” he slurred. “You were gon' leave me there an' I deserved it, I'm jus' a half-Ga'ra an' the In'roans hate me an' I...I screwed up the 'lliance, an'–”</p><p> </p><p>She interrupted his feverish rambling with another shushing noise. “No, Keith. You didn't deserve it, not at all, and you didn't 'screw up' anything. We wouldn't just...I mean, if we had known sooner...” It was a rare thing, to hear Allura stumble over her words, her voice cracking slightly with emotion. “I'm so sorry that this happened to you. But we'll talk about all of that later, alright? Right now I'm going to try to get these cuffs off of you.”</p><p> </p><p>She didn't move him from where he leaned against her, merely reaching around behind him to work the key into the cuffs. They popped off and hit the floor with a clatter. His arms relaxed automatically, but he didn't attempt to move them from behind his back. He wasn't sure the muscles would respond if he tried.</p><p> </p><p>“Here.” Allura pushed him up off of her enough to grab his left arm and tug it gently between them, setting his hand in his lap. He groaned quietly as blood finally began flowing back through the limb at a normal rate. When she reached around to his right arm, though, he couldn't stop from fully crying out.</p><p> </p><p>Allura jumped, unsure of what she had done, then tried again with her hand placed further up his arm this time. She tsked as his wrist came into view. “Well, this is certainly broken. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt it.”</p><p> </p><p>“'s 'kay.” He was on the verge of passing out again, her voice and the sounds of the ship around him growing dimmer. Then there was a familiar jolt, and a moment later footsteps approached.</p><p> </p><p>“How is he?” Shiro demanded anxiously.</p><p> </p><p>“Unrestrained now, at least,” Allura replied. “But he's a bit delirious, and I discovered a broken wrist, as well.” She shifted underneath him, adjusting her hold. “No, let me, Shiro. I can get him to the infirmary faster than you.”</p><p> </p><p>He was airborne again, his body being jostled as Allura sprinted with him in her arms. Over the next several dobashes he faded in and out of consciousness, only half aware of many voices conversing around him and his flightsuit being stripped off of him and replaced with something softer.</p><p> </p><p>His awareness returned just in time to hear Coran say, “Alright now, let's get him into the pod.”</p><p> </p><p>Panic seized him. <em>No, no, not a pod, I can't go into a pod, dark and cold and trapped can't breathe danger danger danger! </em>He didn't know who was trying to pick him up, but he flailed and kicked against them with sudden renewed strength.</p><p> </p><p>“Whoa! Keith, it's alright, calm down! It's just me!” Shiro's voice was normally grounding, but now Keith paid it no mind.</p><p> </p><p>“No! No, no pod, no, no!” he howled.</p><p> </p><p>“Keith, you have to go in a pod. I'm sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>Hands tried to grab him again, and he lashed out even harder. “No, don't make me! I can't, I can't! Please, no!”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Shiro's hands, one flesh and one metal, finally caught hold of his arms and pinned them down by his sides. “Listen to me. I'm sorry, I know you don't want to go in a pod, and I have a feeling I understand why. But Coran did a scan, and this infection is shutting your body down. We don't have a choice. If you don't go into the pod now, we might not be able to fight it ourselves. You may die.”</p><p> </p><p>The alarm bells were blaring so loudly in Keith's head that he barely comprehended any of what Shiro had said. Even with his arms immobilized, he continued to struggle with all of his might.</p><p> </p><p>Shiro's voice sounded farther away when he spoke again, as if he had turned to someone else. “...can't lift him like this...gotta get him in there...”</p><p> </p><p>A couple of garbled responses, then Coran's voice came very close to his ear. “Alright now, Number Four. Don't worry. I promise you'll feel better very soon.”</p><p> </p><p>There was a sharp prick in the side of his neck, and Keith gasped in shock. Something cool pressed into his forehead, and Shiro's breath ghosted over his face. “I'm sorry, buddy. I'm so sorry,” he whispered.</p><p> </p><p>The temporary energy was rapidly leaving him, his legs dropping like lead to the table and his brain turning even more sluggish than before. He felt his arms being released and someone scooping him up as if from afar, too far removed for him to do anything about it. The last thing he heard before slipping away was Shiro promising to be there when he woke up.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Leave me a comment or a kudos if you enjoyed!  Anyone who comments gets a rare Keith smile as a reward.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wow, thank you all so much for the outpouring of support!  10 commenters (Keith smiles for you guys!!), 84 kudos, 9 bookmarks...I did not expect so much positive feedback, and I appreciate all of it!</p><p>So, when I first came to the conclusion that this was NOT going to be a oneshot, I then thought it would have 2 chapters.  But I kept finding myself wanting to write the rescue from the other side...so I did.  A bit shorter, and not quite as whumpy, but I thought it might be nice to see how everything happened.  Next week we'll start the recovery process for Keith.</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Allura, have you heard anything from Keith yet?”</p><p> </p><p>The princess looked up at Shiro from across the dining table, blinking a bit wearily before schooling her expression into its usual pristine facade. “No, not yet. How many quintants has he been gone now?”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro sighed, trying his best not to feel irritated. He couldn't really blame her, or anyone else, for not having Keith at the forefront of their minds right now. So much was going on. Lance had only gotten out a pod vargas ago, and Hunk had been at his side nonstop. Neither of them had even made it to breakfast yet, still catching up on their sleep. The rest of them hadn't slept much over the last several quintants, either, staying up half the night trying to fix and upgrade the Castle's defenses before they ended up getting attacked again while half-prepared. That was finally coming to a close, though, and his little brother's absence was feeling more and more palpable.</p><p> </p><p>“This one makes five. You and Coran said that it would be four or five at the most.”</p><p> </p><p>She nodded slowly and returned her attention to her bowl of goo. “Then we should probably hear from him soon. Hopefully the In'aroans have accepted.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro frowned. “Don't you think he should have contacted us before now? Wouldn't he or the leader of In'aro want to speak to you before finalizing anything?” He knew that Allura wanted them each to be able to handle these types of missions on their own, but he wouldn't expect her to be completely hands-off about it. Especially on Keith's very first solo trip.</p><p> </p><p>“Perhaps, perhaps not.” Allura shrugged. “It's not concerning to me, but if you'd like to pull up the comms and find out for sure when he's returning, you're welcome to.”</p><p> </p><p>Nodding, Shiro dropped his spoon into his bowl and pushed back away from the table. “Yeah. I'm gonna go do that now.” He hadn't been concerned before now, either, but for some reason the more he thought about Keith's silence the more uneasy he became. It would be reassuring to hear his voice again.</p><p> </p><p>Fifteen dobashes later, Allura and Coran entered the bridge to find him punching the comms button over and over again. Nothing but the sound of static replied. “He's not answering. I don't know if his comms are turned off, or if he doesn't have his helmet, or...or what.” Whatever it was, he didn't like it.</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm.” Allura frowned at the console, then pressed another button and paged Pidge. “Perhaps she can at least answer that question for us.”</p><p> </p><p>The green paladin arrived shortly, and got to work at her station, typing furiously with the light of the screen glinting off her glasses. After a moment, she paused and looked up at Shiro and Allura. “His comms are fine. They haven't been turned off or destroyed or anything. He must just not have his helmet on.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, the atmosphere of In'aro is breathable for humans,” Coran piped up. “And he's there for a diplomatic mission, so there's no real reason why he shouldn't take his helmet off.”</p><p> </p><p>“That's very true.” Allura looked to Shiro, business-like but at the same time seeming sympathetic to his concerns. “Perhaps we should just give him some more time. I'm sure he'll either contact us or come flying in at any moment.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro furrowed his brow, but before he could say anything the bridge door opened again.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey guys.” Hunk interrupted himself with a huge yawn, just barely covering it behind his hand. “You still working on the defenses?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, I think we're finally done with that,” Pidge replied, turning to lean one arm onto the back of her seat.</p><p> </p><p>“Lance, it's so good to see you up and about again.” Allura smiled, and the blue paladin returned the gesture. “I trust you're feeling better after a good night's rest?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yep, that and a hot shower.” Lance stretched his arms up over his head. “So what are you guys doing? And where's Keith? I haven't seen him since I got out last night.”</p><p> </p><p>Sighing, Shiro quickly caught Lance up on the situation. “So now, I guess we're just trying to decide whether we should assume something's wrong or not.”</p><p> </p><p>Lance scratched his head, seeming to mull it over. “It does seem a little weird not to have heard anything. I mean, we all know Mullet isn't the best at diplomatic stuff. I'd have thought that he would have called for advice or something at some point.”</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring the slight jab, Shiro turned back to Allura. “Maybe we should go ahead and contact In'aro, just to be sure.” Her nose crinkled, a sure sign that she was about to protest, and he hurried on. “You don't have to start demanding to talk to Keith right away. Just tell them that you wanted to touch base with them personally before he returns, and see what happens.”</p><p> </p><p>Allura cut her eyes to the side and considered this for a moment before turning back to the console. “Alright. I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I was planning on speaking to them myself eventually, so it might as well be now.”</p><p> </p><p>She opened a hailing frequency, and pretty quickly an image appeared in front of them of a green alien with a long snout and wide-set eyes. “I am Princess Allura of Altea, calling on behalf of Voltron.”</p><p> </p><p>The alien's expression did not change, but he nodded once. “Ah, yes. We thought we might be hearing from you.” Shiro frowned, wondering at the meaning of that statement, but the alien continued. “I am In'ebo, chief of the In'aroans.”</p><p> </p><p>Allura smiled her dazzling smile that she had used to win over many an ally. “A pleasure to meet you. I trust that negotiations with our red paladin have been going well?”</p><p> </p><p>Narrowing his eyes, In'ebo sniffed. “Hm. So you did send him.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well...yes, of course.” Allura's smile had faltered, and her brow was furrowed. “Did he not tell you as much?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, he did.” For a moment it seemed that was all he would say, but then he lifted his chin and continued. “However, I am not in the habit of believing the word of the Galra.”</p><p> </p><p>One of the other paladins squeaked out, “What?” but Shiro hardly heard. He strode forward toward the screen until he was shoulder to shoulder with Allura and glared. <em>I knew something was wrong. I knew it.</em></p><p> </p><p>“I'm not–” Allura began, but she was interrupted by In'ebo.</p><p> </p><p>“You thought that we would not notice, perhaps? He may not look like a Galra, but the people of In'aro are very perceptive. We can smell Galra blood no matter whose veins it may run through.”</p><p> </p><p>“Where is Keith?” Shiro demanded, paying no attention to the look that Allura gave him. “I want to speak to him.”</p><p> </p><p>“I'm afraid that won't be possible.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro's heart plummeted. “Where is he? What have you done with him?”</p><p> </p><p>“Calm yourself, paladin.” In'ebo's attitude was irritatingly flippant. “Your Galra friend lives. As with all captured enemies, he has been placed under the watch of In'oni, our jailer.”</p><p> </p><p>“You imprisoned him.” He wasn't sure whether it was a question or a statement. All he knew was that he was furious. Five quintants of thinking that Keith was perfectly safe on a peaceful planet, and he had been in a cell probably the whole time.</p><p> </p><p>Allura spoke at almost the same time as Shiro, and underneath her controlled demeanor sounded almost as furious. “Keith is not your enemy. He came peacefully to negotiate the terms of an alliance between your people and Voltron.”</p><p> </p><p>“So he said. But perhaps you should have thought harder before sending a Galra to do your negotiations. Or even before having a Galra be part of your team.”</p><p> </p><p>“Or perhaps we should have thought harder before extending our hand to In'aro at all.”</p><p> </p><p>Despite his churning worry for Keith, Shiro couldn't help but blink in surprise at Allura at that statement. Giving up a potential ally was no small thing in her eyes. He was sure that she would still fight hard to end up with both Keith and the alliance, but even hearing that she was considering backing out was a shock.</p><p> </p><p>“You will release our paladin at once,” she continued, every bit a princess in both stance and tone. “We will arrive within the varga to collect him.” With that, she punched a button on the console and In'ebo's image blipped out of existence.</p><p> </p><p>The bridge exploded with the voices of the other paladins. It was mostly a meaningless cacophony of noise as they talked over each other, though Shiro did pick out Lance's voice snarling something like, “Quiznacking lizard people,” while Hunk moaned, “Poor Keith, all alone,” and Pidge muttered about not being able to trust anyone.</p><p> </p><p>Shiro's mind was a swirl of all three sentiments plus some, though he was with Hunk most of all. He knew Keith was used to being alone. The kid had been alone in his life more than anyone should be. He just hoped that this wouldn't set him back into any of his old, fearful habits. <em>Surely he knew that we would be coming for him...right? Ugh, why didn't I check in on him sooner?</em></p><p> </p><p>Coran's voice broke into his thoughts. “Do you really think they'll hand him over that easily, Princess?”</p><p> </p><p>“I would be surprised.” Allura's lips were drawn into a thin line. “Regardless, we will set out for In'aro immediately and handle any negotiations there. Lance, Hunk, Pidge, you stay here with Coran. Shiro and I will go down, and call you if we require backup.”</p><p> </p><p>Lance stepped forward, away from the others. “I wanna go, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro shook his head. “Lance, you're just barely out of a pod. You should stay here and rest.”</p><p> </p><p>“I feel fine,” Lance insisted. “What if it somehow turns violent? You'll need more than two people already there. Besides, I wanna see Allura give In'ebo a piece of her mind.”</p><p> </p><p>Pursing her lips, Allura sighed. “Well, that you will definitely see. Alright, fine. We'll take both the black and blue lions.”</p><p> </p><p>.o.0.O.0.o.</p><p> </p><p>Despite Allura riding in Black with him, the whole trip down to the surface of In'aro was silent. Shiro spent the time inwardly berating himself for abandoning Keith, and fuming at the In'aroans for their racism. Pidge had been able to track Red's location, and they followed the coordinates to an open area nestled in between a huge forest and a mountain range, landing on either side of the red lion. She was active, golden eyes glowing, but her particle barrier was up.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>At least she seems calm. Maybe that means that Keith isn't in any real danger.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The calm didn't last, however. Allura had been correct in her assumption that getting Keith released wouldn't be so easy. In'ebo, flanked by a few soldiers, came to meet them, but he was not at all happy or ready to let his “captured enemy” go. Negotiations – which turned into full-blown arguments rather quickly – stretched on, throughout the afternoon and evening and late into the night. Lance had long ago given up on standing with them and gone back to sit on Blue's big metal paw, though he kept his bayard in hand and his eye on the proceedings.</p><p> </p><p>Several vargas after dark, Allura and In'ebo finally agreed on something. Unfortunately, it was that they should take a break to eat and sleep, and resume first thing in the morning. Shiro was not at all happy. Allura practically dragged him back to the lions by the collar of his armor, depositing him in front of Red.</p><p> </p><p>“We should not be giving up! Keith is waiting for us, has been waiting for us for five quintants!” His hands clenched into fists by his sides as he fought to keep control of his ire. “We cannot just leave him out there! What if he's hurt or something?”</p><p> </p><p>“Shiro, we are not giving up, and we are certainly not going to leave Keith.” Allura's shoulders were slumped under an invisible weight. “You know I wouldn't do that. But everyone is hungry and exhausted, and that's only making the arguing worse. We all need a break.” Before Shiro could reply to that, she waved a weary hand up at Red. “Besides, you know as well as I do that Keith and the red lion have a strong connection. If she's not trying to get to him, then chances are he's fine.”</p><p> </p><p>As if in answer, a low growl rumbled from the depths of Red's body. Both Shiro and Allura looked up at her in surprise.</p><p> </p><p>“She's been doing that,” Lance sighed from his perch on Blue's paw. “For quite a while now. She's been shifting around a lot, too, like...like she's agitated.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro shot a glare at Allura, but she ignored him. “There's nothing that we can do about it right now. Everyone should try to get some rest, and we'll somehow work all of this out in the morning.”</p><p> </p><p>As much as Shiro hated it, he eventually had to give in and try to sleep, too, though he laid awake for a long time, the hard bench of Black's cargo hold digging into his spine and thoughts of what Keith might be going through plaguing his mind. <em>Please hold on, </em>otouto. <em>We'll be there soon.</em></p><p> </p><p>Once he did finally fall asleep, it didn't last long. He sat up with a jolt, unsure of what had woken him, and looked over at the bench opposite him to see Lance also awake and frowning.</p><p> </p><p>“Something's going on outside. I think...it might be Red?”</p><p> </p><p>That was all Shiro needed to hear. Jumping up, he threw on the few pieces of armor he had removed for sleeping and ran out through the cockpit and Black's open jaw, with Lance right on his heels. Allura joined them soon after, tumbling out of Blue where Lance had let her sleep for privacy.</p><p> </p><p>The red lion had taken down her particle barrier, presumably so that she could do what she was doing right now – pacing. Back and forth, back and forth behind Black and Blue, her eyes glowing eerily in the dim light of early morning and her giant paws leaving divots in the dusty ground. Every once in a while another low growl would echo through the air.</p><p> </p><p>“It's Keith.” Shiro could barely force the words out around the lump in his throat. “Something's wrong.”</p><p> </p><p>“What is the meaning of this commotion?” In'ebo's voice called out. He and the other In'aroans with him were spilling out of the mountain caves that they had retreated into a few vargas earlier.</p><p> </p><p>Before Allura could speak up, Shiro marched forward to meet them. “That lion is connected to her paladin, and she's telling us that something is wrong. So I suggest that you take us to him right now, or you're going to seriously regret it.”</p><p> </p><p>In'ebo sniffed indignantly. “As I said before, I am not yet convinced that his release is in the best interest of not only the people of In'aro, but the rest of the universe as well.”</p><p> </p><p>“And as I said before, the rest of the universe is doomed without him!” Allura insisted. “Without him, we cannot form Voltron, and without Voltron, there is no one to fight the Empire.”</p><p> </p><p>They fell right back into their pointless arguing, and Shiro thought he might just lose his mind. Keith was out there, and he was in trouble. If something happened to him while they were sitting out here yelling at each other, he would never forgive himself. Looking back over his shoulder at Red, he was surprised to see Lance walking closer to her, staring up into her face. Shiro took a few steps backwards, away from the group, then turned and jogged over to the lions, ready to ask Lance what he was seeing. Instead, as he came close he heard whispering.</p><p> </p><p>“Show us the way, girl. You know where he is, don't you? Go on. Go. Take us to him.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro raised his eyebrows and looked from Lance up to Red. At first she didn't seem to be paying him any mind, which was to be expected since they weren't bonded. But just as this planet's sun burst up over the tops of the trees, she suddenly stopped pacing, faced the mountains, and opened her mouth with a thunderous roar. The ground shook with it, and the sounds of arguing died off completely. Then Red crouched, gathering her legs underneath her and springing into the air, and was disappearing over the tops of the mountains in the next breath.</p><p> </p><p>“Let's go!” Shiro shouted, already racing for Black. “Hurry!”</p><p> </p><p>Allura leapt into Black's jaw just before it closed, and Shiro took off without waiting for her to get into position. He punched a button on the console, and Pidge's face popped up on the screen.</p><p> </p><p>“Pidge, I need you to track Red again, right now.”</p><p> </p><p>She leapt into action immediately, not questioning his urgency any more than he questioned why she was up and at her computer at this time of morning. “Got it. Sending you her location...now.” A map with red, black, and blue blips on it replaced her image.</p><p> </p><p>“Lance, can you see the tracker?”</p><p> </p><p>Lance's voice came through the speaker at his ear. “Ten-four. Man, that lion is fast.”</p><p> </p><p>By the time they arrived at the location where Red had stopped, she had resumed her pacing, but this time round and round in a large circle in the middle of a desert. Hovering just overhead in Black, Shiro could see that she was circling what looked like a metal platform. Various carvings, possibly native letters, just barely peeked through the layer of sand that had settled over the top.</p><p> </p><p>“What is that?” Lance asked as they landed.</p><p> </p><p>“I don't know.” Shiro scrambled out of the cockpit and jogged over to the edge of the circle. “Whatever it is, it's clearly out of place here, and it must have something to do with Keith.” Stooping down, he brushed sand aside so that the dark grey of the metal showed through more clearly.</p><p> </p><p>“I suppose we'll have to wait for the In'aroans to catch up and tell us,” Allura sighed, sounding very done with said aliens.</p><p> </p><p>Shiro busied himself with crisscrossing the platform while they waited, searching the ground intently. For what, he wasn't even sure, but he was desperate for any sign of Keith's whereabouts. He didn't care that he looked much like the red lion with his incessant pacing.</p><p> </p><p>In'ebo was fussing before he even fully exited the mountain pass, his raspy voice really starting to grate on Shiro's nerves. “Princess, I must insist that we return at once–”</p><p> </p><p>“What is this?” Shiro demanded. “And what does it have to do with Keith?”</p><p> </p><p>The alien chief scowled. “I shall explain, but first we must–”</p><p> </p><p>“We're not going anywhere until you tell us where our paladin is.” Allura drew herself up to her full height, lifting her chin and looking down on them with as much authority as Shiro had ever seen from her.</p><p> </p><p>The muscles in In'ebo's face twitched as he tried to come up with a response, probably yet another excuse to hold them off. Shiro was sick of it, and apparently, so was Red. Leaping up into the air, she pounced onto the outer edge of the platform, shaking the ground underneath everyone's feet, then let out another roar and began digging.</p><p> </p><p>Shiro watched her giant paws throwing sand out behind her, and it dawned on him. “He's under there isn't he?” Spinning around, he glared at In'ebo. “Is this where your prison is? Underground?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes,” In'ebo finally relented, obviously unhappy. “It is. But we still have not completed negotiations–” He was interrupted by another pounce from Red, barely keeping his footing.</p><p> </p><p>Striding forward, Lance planted himself in front of the chief. “How's this for negotiations? You let us down there right now, or the red lion is going to destroy the entrance to your prison.” He glanced back over his shoulder at the lion. “Digging isn't getting her there very fast, so I imagine she'll resort to using her laser cannon pretty soon.”</p><p> </p><p>In'ebo gaped openly at him, then turned to Allura. “Princess, surely you do not approve of your paladin's threats.”</p><p> </p><p>She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “It's not really a threat, it's merely the truth. None of us control the red lion. We can't call her off. She's going to keep at it until she reaches her paladin, or until she knows that we are going to him, ourselves.”</p><p> </p><p>There was a moment of silence, broken only by Red's growls and the scraping of her paws on the sand. Finally, though, In'ebo's expression settled into one of resignation. “Fine.” He marched forward to the center of the platform, with his soldiers following him and Shiro, Lance, and Allura right on their heels.</p><p> </p><p>When they reached the very center, the circle lit up with green lights all around the edge. Then In'ebo pounded the staff in his hand twice onto the ground, and the whole platform began to rumble before starting its descent.</p><p> </p><p>“Don't worry, Red,” Lance whispered up at the lion, who was watching them intently. “We're gonna get him.”</p><p> </p><p>.o.0.O.0.o.</p><p> </p><p>The prison was an abyss, stretching on and on, down into the ground further than Shiro could have ever imagined. The lower they went, the darker it got, and the more nauseous he felt. Finally the platform stopped, then slid slowly over to the cells on one side, and another In'aroan appeared from below them on its own, miniature, hovering platform, complete with green lights around the side. The newcomer, In'oni, Shiro presumed, exchanged hushed words with In'ebo before flying over to open one of the cell doors.</p><p> </p><p>Shiro shoved past the In'aroans and was the first to enter the black hole of a cell. “Keith?” He blinked and squinted, trying to adjust his eyes to the even dimmer lighting inside. On the wall across from him, he could just barely make out what looked like a bed, but there didn't seem to be anyone on it. Then the tiniest of whimpers came from his left, and he whipped his head around to see a figure curled up on the floor close to his feet.</p><p> </p><p>“Keith!” He dove down to his knees, the faint glow from his armor illuminating the boy just enough to see that his face was buried in the floor and his arms were wrenched behind his back. “Keith, can you hear me?”</p><p> </p><p>Lance hovered over his shoulder, muttering what were probably expletives under his breath in Spanish. “I can't believe they left his arms like that this whole time.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is he alright?” Allura asked from further behind them.</p><p> </p><p>“I'm not sure if he's conscious or not.” Reaching forward, Shiro placed his flesh hand on the back of Keith's head. He wasn't sure what made him jerk back away harder – Keith's violent flinch, or the heat that assaulted his hand. “He's burning up.” It seemed like he was conscious, at least, but the obviously high fever was even more concerning.</p><p> </p><p>Lance knelt down next to him, by Keith's feet. “Look. His leg's injured.” He pointed, finger trembling slightly, and Shiro could see then the hole ripped through the flightsuit just above his knee. “Do you think it might be infected?”</p><p> </p><p>Allura must have been listening in, because she immediately went off on In'ebo and In'oni again, berating them for Keith's condition. Shiro could barely hear her, though, over the roar of fear and anger in his ears.</p><p> </p><p>“Let's just get him back to the Castle.” Moving around behind Keith, he bent low and spoke softly in his ear, trying to keep from startling him again. “It's alright, <em>otouto</em>, I'm here. You're safe now. I've got you.” He worked his hands underneath Keith's body as gently as possible, being especially careful of his knee, and lifted him off the ground, wincing at the involuntary whimper that accompanied the motion. He wasn't sure which was worse – the sounds of pain, or the fact that they were much more subdued than they should have been.</p><p> </p><p>As Keith's head fell against his chest, Shiro got his first look at the boy's face, and his heart seemed to stop beating altogether. <em>They muzzled him. Those...quiznacking...</em> That was as far as conscious thought took him, his mind suddenly thrown back into some far-off memory that he hadn't even known existed until then.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Cold metal against his skin. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Unrelenting pressure across his nose.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Not enough air. Can't breathe...can't...</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He was forced back to the present by a groan from Keith and a horrified gasp from Lance.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, quiznack, what is that on his face?” The blue paladin slapped a hand over his own mouth and gulped before pulling it back to speak again. “I think I'm gonna be sick. Shiro, we've got to get that thing off him.”</p><p> </p><p>It took a moment for Shiro to gather back enough strength to reply. “We will.” He raised his voice to be heard over Allura's renewed righteous tantrum behind them. “But he's too sick to linger here. Getting him back to the Castle is our first priority, we'll have to remove his...” His voice caught on the word. “...restraints...later.”</p><p> </p><p>With a nod to Allura, he moved back out onto the platform, grateful for the little bit of sunlight that made it down into the main shaft of the prison. Keith, however, didn't seem to agree. He let out the loudest cry that they had heard from him yet, though it was still horribly muffled behind the muzzle, and frantically tried to dig his face down into Shiro's armored chest.</p><p> </p><p>“What's the matter? What's wrong with him?” Lance's eyes had gone wide with panic.</p><p> </p><p>“I think it's his eyes. He's not used to the light; it's too bright for him.”</p><p> </p><p>“Here.” Allura approached, untying the ribbon from her hair. “Perhaps this will help.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith's immediate response to the ribbon on his face was to jump, but between Shiro's reassurances and the makeshift blindfold doing its job, he eventually relaxed, allowing her to tie it in the back.</p><p> </p><p>“Take us back up immediately,” Allura ordered. In'ebo acquiesced, seeming to have finally given up this fight, and the platform jolted into motion. “We will take our lions and leave, and you should not expect to ever hear from Voltron again.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro glanced over at Lance and saw that the younger boy looked as surprised as he felt. He couldn't say that he wasn't pleased with her decision, after what they had done to Keith. But Allura put a lot of emphasis on the importance of allies, and despite her threat the day before, he had not expected that to be overridden by the treatment of the paladin that she had shunned herself not that long ago. Maybe he didn't give her as much credit as she deserved.</p><p> </p><p>The trip back up seemed to take even longer than the trip down. In this new lighting, Shiro could get a much better look at Keith, and he didn't like what he saw. His normally pale face had taken on almost a grey pallor, though his cheeks – what he could see of them, anyway, past the ugly leather straps – were flushed a bright, feverish red. That wasn't surprising, considering he felt like a furnace in Shiro's arms. His greasy black hair was plastered to his forehead with dried sweat, and the areas around the muzzle and straps were reddened and even bloody in some places. Shiro wondered, with a churning stomach, if Keith had tried to rip it off of himself. The injured knee still couldn't be seen from this angle, and he wasn't sure whether it would make him feel better or worse to know for sure what had happened to it.</p><p> </p><p>They reached the surface once more, and Shiro immediately headed for Black. Allura was on comms, telling Coran to have a pod ready for their arrival, then trotted to catch up with him on the ramp. As he set Keith carefully down onto the floor of Black's cargo hold, Shiro couldn't help but glance down at his leg. <em>Blaster wound. </em>It had to be. It was definitely the source of the fever, too, judging by its oozing, inflamed appearance. Shiro clenched his jaw, trying to control his anger at the In'aroans who had shot him and then thrown him in a prison cell with zero medical treatment.</p><p> </p><p>Allura settled down on the floor next to Keith and looked up at Shiro expectantly. “Just go drive. I'll take care of him.” She produced a strangely shaped key from somewhere on her person and held it up for Shiro to see.</p><p> </p><p>Drawing in a deep breath, he nodded slowly. Where and when she had gotten that key, he didn't know, but knowing that Keith would soon be completely free made him feel the slightest bit better about leaving him to fly back home.</p><p> </p><p>That didn't stop him from fretting for the entire flight, though, or from barging back into the cargo hold as soon as they had landed. “How is he?” he demanded before even fully out of the cockpit. To his surprise, Keith was leaning fully against Allura, his head resting on her shoulder, and she was running a hand through his hair.</p><p> </p><p>“Unrestrained now, at least.” The muzzle had indeed left painful-looking marks behind, but it was still infinitely better to see the hideous thing abandoned at Allura's feet. “But he's a bit delirious, and I discovered a broken wrist, as well.”</p><p> </p><p>At her gesture, Shiro dropped his gaze to Keith's freed hands in his lap, wincing at the black and purple that ringed his misshapen right wrist. <em>We're home now, </em>he kept having to tell himself. <em>We're home, he's going straight into a pod, and everything will be okay. He's going to be okay.</em> He moved to take Keith back out of Allura's arms, but she shook her head and began standing up with him.</p><p> </p><p>“No, let me, Shiro. I can get him to the infirmary faster than you.”</p><p> </p><p>That was most likely true, as she automatically set out at a jog that Shiro would not have been able to keep up with a person in his arms. Lance was already waiting for them and fell into stride, and the other paladins that had started to pour into the hangar quickly scattered out of the way before running after them.</p><p> </p><p>“How is he, is he okay?” Lance panted, worry etched into his features.</p><p> </p><p>Shiro gave a curt nod. “We just need to get him into that pod as soon as possible.”</p><p> </p><p>.o.0.O.0.o.</p><p> </p><p>Coran was waiting for them in the infirmary next to a table he had prepared. As soon as Allura had laid Keith down, he got to work scanning the boy and humming to himself as he surveyed the results. Shiro stayed right by the table, holding onto Keith's good hand. The other paladins stayed back out of the way, though he could tell from their anxious voices that they'd rather be where he was.</p><p> </p><p>“What's going on? What did they do to Keith?” Pidge's voice carried the loudest of all of them, Lance's response almost a whisper in comparison.</p><p> </p><p>“He's sick. He's got a wound on his leg and we think it's infected.”</p><p> </p><p>“What's with the blindfold?” That was Hunk, a tremor in his words.</p><p> </p><p>Lance's voice grew deeper and undeniably angry. “Their prison is underground, and there's no lights down there at all. Imagine the darkest room you've ever been in, and I guarantee you it wasn't as dark as this place was. He freaked out as soon as the tiniest bit of sunlight hit him.”</p><p> </p><p>Pidge let out a growl. “Did you kill them? Please tell me you killed them.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, Pidge.” Allura sent a sympathetic smile over the table in her direction. “We didn't harm them. However, there will be no alliance with In'aro. Not after what they've done.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good,” Hunk replied.</p><p> </p><p>Pidge huffed. “Yeah, though I mean, that seems pretty tame compared to what they deserve.”</p><p> </p><p>Coran cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. “Alright then. The good news is that there's no damage to his eyes. They'll just need time to adjust back to the light, which they should get in the pod. He does have some minor lacerations on his face, a few minor bruises here and there, minor nerve damage in his arms, a broken right wrist, and of course the blaster wound above his left knee. Also a bit of dehydration and undernourishment.”</p><p> </p><p>Pidge growled again. “Are you sure we can't go kill them?”</p><p> </p><p>“The most concerning thing is the infection,” Coran continued. “The sooner we can get him into the pod, the better, because it's starting to affect his internal organs and before long the damage may become irreversible.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are...are you saying he's dying?” Hunk gulped. “He's dying, isn't he?”</p><p> </p><p>Coran gave him a gentle smile. “Well, Number Two, I'm saying that he could, if we didn't take care of him right away. But we are, so there's no need to fret.” He turned to Shiro, who had become a bit numb over the last couple of dobashes and was just staring down at Keith's pale face. “Number One, we'll need to get him into a pod suit.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro shook himself back to the present. “Right. Guys, you mind...giving him a little privacy?”</p><p> </p><p>The other paladins dragged themselves reluctantly out of the room, ushered by Allura, with assurances that they'd be let right back in as soon as Keith was in the pod. Working together, Shiro and Coran peeled away Keith's flightsuit as carefully as possible and dressed him in the soft white pod suit. Keith remained limp throughout the process, only responding with little grunts and whimpers here and there.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright now, let's get him into the pod.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro was already in the process of scooping him up off the table, but suddenly Keith went ballistic. He kicked and flailed with an energy that he hadn't shown the whole time, making himself extremely difficult to hold onto.</p><p> </p><p>“Whoa! Keith, it's alright, calm down! It's just me!” He hadn't been able to lift him up yet, but he stayed close, hoping the familiar presence would soothe the frightened boy. It didn't seem to help.</p><p> </p><p>“No! No, no pod, no no!” His voice was raspy from disuse, but that didn't make the plea any less heart-wrenching.</p><p> </p><p>“Keith, you have to go in a pod. I'm sorry.” He reached out to try to lift him again, afraid to continue delaying, but received a punch to the jaw for his efforts.</p><p> </p><p>“No, don't make me! I can't, I can't! Please, no!” He was nearing the point of sobbing now, and Shiro's heart clenched in his chest. It had been a very long time since he had seen Keith this upset.</p><p> </p><p>With effort, he was able to latch onto each of Keith's arms and pull them down by his sides to keep from getting punched again. “Listen to me. I'm sorry, I know you don't want to go in a pod, and I have a feeling I understand why.” After all, he figured if it had been him who had spent nearly six quintants locked up in the dark, he wouldn't be too keen on the idea, either. “But Coran did a scan, and this infection is shutting your body down. We don't have a choice.” He looked to Coran for confirmation of that, and the man nodded sadly. “If you don't go into the pod now, we might not be able to fight it ourselves. You may die.”</p><p> </p><p>None of what he said seemed to even register with Keith. He never stopped struggling the whole time, his whole body squirming and his legs kicking against the table. Gritting his teeth, Shiro sighed and turned back to Coran.</p><p> </p><p>“He won't stay still. I can't lift him like this. We've gotta get him in there now.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, we could sedate him...”</p><p> </p><p>Coran looked reluctant, but it was nothing compared to the guilt that assaulted Shiro's gut at even listening to the suggestion. <em>Do I even have a choice, though? </em>His gaze traveled back down to Keith's face, twisted in pain and fear. <em>We're running out of time. I'm going to lose him. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Okay, let's do it.” His reply was so soft that he wasn't even sure Coran would be able to hear it, but the clatter of medical instruments that followed told him he must have. A moment later, the man appeared on the other side of the table with a syringe in his hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright now, Number Four. Don't worry. You'll feel better very soon.”</p><p> </p><p>The needle pricked Keith's neck, and his mouth fell open as the rest of his body froze in place. Shiro could perfectly imagine the look of betrayal that would have been in his eyes had they been visible. Blinking back the tears that burned at his eyelids, he leaned down and rested his forehead against Keith's fiery, sweaty one.</p><p> </p><p>“I'm sorry, buddy. I'm so sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>The sedative took effect quickly. Within a dobash, Keith's breathing had slowed, and his legs, still poised to kick, slid back down onto the table. As soon as it was safe, Shiro grabbed him up into his arms – <em>has he always been this light? –</em> and practically ran to the pod with him. Coran helped get him settled inside, and the last thing they did before shutting the door was to take off the makeshift blindfold.</p><p> </p><p>“I'll be right here waiting when you wake up, okay, buddy? I'll see you soon.”</p><p> </p><p>The glass fogged over, and Coran tapped away on the tablet. “He'll be just fine,” he announced after a tense moment. “He'll just need several quintants to heal.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro let out the breath he had been unconsciously holding, still staring up at Keith's barely visible face. <em>He'll be fine. </em>He clenched his jaw. <em>Physically, at least. We'll just have to hope that he'll eventually be okay in all other ways. </em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This time anyone who leaves a comment gets to punch an In'aroan in the face.</p><p>Pidge would want you to.  Do it for Pidge.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Holy crow, I am overwhelmed by the support for this story!  You guys punched out 11 In'aroans, plus left me 45 more kudos and 6 more bookmarks!  Thank you so much!</p><p>I hope everyone enjoys the last chapter.  We may be starting the road to recovery, but don't worry, there's plenty of angst left ahead.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Cold.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>It was the first thing that Keith became aware of as his consciousness gradually returned. That wasn't surprising, though, seeing as how cold had been his companion for a while. He didn't have time to register that this cold was not accompanied by the burning of fever before there was a sudden burst of warmer air and he was losing his balance and tumbling forward. A pair of hands caught him by the arms.</p><p> </p><p>“No!” Keith threw himself backwards away from the unknown assailant, colliding with a wall and falling to the floor. He was trapped. There was nowhere to run, and there was still someone there, in front of him, trying to get to him. Turning his face toward the wall, he curled up into the tiniest ball he could make, his arms tucked in between his chest and his legs. “No, please, don't hurt me, I'll be good, I promise!”</p><p> </p><p>He was shaking all over and tears were pouring down his cheeks, and he knew that they hated it when he cried, he knew that the punishment was just going to be that much worse, but he couldn't help it. Minutes ticked by, and nothing happened. He hated it when they made him wait. He wished they would just get it over with. But instead, a voice slowly started to filter in through the roar in his ears.</p><p> </p><p>“You're safe, Keith. It's just me, it's Shiro. You're back at the Castle, you're safe.”</p><p> </p><p>Sucking in a uncertain, shuddering breath, Keith squeezed his eyes shut, not yet wanting to look. “Shi...Shiro?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” Relief flooded through his brother's voice. “Yeah, it's me.”</p><p> </p><p>He opened his eyes, setting free a few more tears to run toward his chin, and his surroundings started to become more clear. The wall he had fallen against was actually the back of a pod, the floor of which he was curled up on. <em>A pod. The Castle.</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Shiro.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Whipping his head around, he met charcoal grey eyes that crinkled from the tired, sad smile underneath them. “Hey, bud. You with me?”</p><p> </p><p>Keith clenched his teeth against the new onslaught of tears that threatened and gave a wobbly nod. “I'm sorry,” he croaked.</p><p> </p><p>“No.” Shiro shook his head. “You know you don't have to be.” It had been years since he had been on this end of one of these moments, but yes, Keith remembered that Shiro would always say that, and he, in turn, had said it to Shiro several times more recently.</p><p> </p><p>Shiro hesitated for a moment, then held out his arms. “Do you wanna...?”</p><p> </p><p>Freezing in place, Keith considered the offer. Did he want it? No, he really didn't. Just the thought of any more hands on him made him want to start hyperventilating. But he knew that he needed it. He needed that grounding, that reassurance that only a hug from Shiro could give him.</p><p> </p><p>Slowly, he rolled onto his knees and inched forward to where Shiro knelt just outside the pod, his arms still open wide. Holding his breath, he leaned into the broad chest, and Shiro held still, letting him be the one to initiate the contact and waiting until he was settled before moving his arms. Keith stayed stiff as he was wrapped up, shutting his eyes as the alarm bells started again, but as the familiar arms began to apply gentle pressure he finally allowed himself to breathe and relax into the embrace.</p><p> </p><p>“You're safe now.” Shiro's voice was barely a whisper in his ear. “I'm so sorry that you had to go through that.”</p><p> </p><p>“How...how long...?”</p><p> </p><p>He could feel Shiro's throat move on the top of his head as he swallowed. “You were there for about six quintants. In the pod for five.”</p><p> </p><p>A shiver went through him at the thought of being locked in the pod for that long, despite knowing that it was over now and he hadn't felt a thing. Shiro lifted one hand and pressed it into his hair.</p><p> </p><p>“I'm sorry that we had to...I didn't want to make you go in there. I hated having to sedate you. But...I didn't want to lose you, either.”</p><p> </p><p>Now it was his turn to swallow down his emotion. “It's okay. I get it.” He thought about tacking on another apology for giving them such a hard time that day, but knew it would just get shut down like the last one had. Instead he pulled away from the warmth of the hug and gave Shiro a small smile, trying his best to look like he was alright. “Thanks for taking care of me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Always.” He pulled him in for one more quick hug, then stood. “You think you're up for getting some food now?”</p><p> </p><p>Keith didn't answer. He was too in shock from suddenly realizing that all three other paladins plus Allura and Coran were in the room, all piled up on a nest of mattresses, blankets, and pillows in the middle of the infirmary. <em>They saw. They saw everything...heard everything. </em>His cheeks burned hot with shame.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey.” Shiro stooped back down in front of him, temporarily blocking his view of the others again. “It's okay. Nobody here is judging you, I promise. They're all just happy that you're okay.”</p><p> </p><p>Ducking his head, Keith stared down at his lap, wishing he could shrivel up and disappear. <em>Lies. Of course they're judging. Everybody is always judging. And I mean, why wouldn't they be? I'm 'the emo one'. I'm not supposed to flip out.</em></p><p> </p><p>Shiro placed a gentle hand on his arm, and he loathed the way that it made him jolt. “If you want me to, I could explain to them–”</p><p> </p><p>“No.” He shook his head vigorously. <em>Judging is bad enough. I don't need their pity. </em>Accepting the offered hand, he rose to his feet and forced himself forward away from the pod, keeping his gaze on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>Hunk was the first to speak up. “Hey, Keith. We're, uh...we're glad you're okay.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, you gave us a good scare,” Pidge added.</p><p> </p><p>“I told you guys Mullet-brain couldn't be taken down that easily.” Lance's scoff was followed by the sound of a slap. “What was that for?”</p><p> </p><p>“You were just as worried about him as we were.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith didn't believe Pidge's assertion for one tick, but he tried to muster another small smile for their benefit, anyway. “Thanks, guys. Um...” <em>What are you even supposed to say in this kind of situation? </em>“It's...good to be back.”</p><p> </p><p>Allura stood from the blanket pile and began crossing slowly to him, seeming by her body language to be trying her best not to startle him. <em>Because that's what I am now. I'm the weakling, the pathetic boy who has to be treated with kid gloves so he doesn't have a panic attack. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Keith.” He crossed his arms tightly over his chest, letting his eyes flick up to hers for a moment before they darted away again. He didn't want to see what she was really thinking about him right now. “I don't know if you recall anything about the trip back to the Castle in the Black Lion...”</p><p> </p><p>Flashes of Allura petting his hair as he babbled incoherently into her shoulder about his hallucinations went through his mind, and he felt his ears grow hot. “Um, a little. I didn't mean to–”</p><p> </p><p>“It's alright.” She held up a hand to stop him. “I only wanted to reiterate my apology, in case you didn't remember, and expand on it, as well. I should not have ever allowed you to go to In'aro by yourself, putting you in that kind of danger.”</p><p> </p><p>Somehow Keith heard <em>since clearly you're not able to handle even the simplest of diplomatic missions on your own.</em></p><p> </p><p>“And I should have made sure that you were checked on much sooner. There was no excuse for going that long without any kind of contact. From now on, every mission will require at least two people, and there will be set check-ins throughout the designated length of the mission.” She addressed this last part to everyone in the room, before turning her attention solely back to Keith. “I'm so sorry that you were in that situation at all, and especially for so long. Rest assured I will do my best to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.”</p><p> </p><p>“It wasn't your fault,” Keith mumbled. <em>You didn't make me Galra. You're not the one who completely failed at getting them to listen to you. </em></p><p> </p><p>Lance sauntered into his peripheral vision. “And hey, if it makes you feel any better, we left In'aro in the dust.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, we are many plabens away by now.” He had no idea what that meant, but Allura seemed to think it would be reassuring. “Also, there will be no alliance with the In'aroans. They proved themselves far too difficult to work with. Very unreasonable people.”</p><p> </p><p>“Plus the fact that they almost killed you,” Lance pointed out.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, of course, that most of all,” Allura was quick to agree. “That was part of them being unreasonable...that they treated you the way they did, and even at the end, after all we said, saw nothing wrong with it.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith had assumed that his release had been some term of the alliance agreement, and now was left wondering how, exactly, they had managed to get him out of there. Regardless of the answer to that, however, it was obvious that he had completely screwed up Voltron's chance at expanding their coalition. He stared down at his feet. “I'm sorry. I tried to...they wouldn't listen to me. If someone else had gone instead–”</p><p> </p><p>“Then perhaps we would have ended up with an alliance, yes. But it's obvious now that they can't be trusted to work willingly alongside us, and that is not something we need in our coalition.” Allura placed a hand on his shoulder, and since he saw it coming out of the corner of his eye he was able to steel himself and not flinch. “I wish someone else had gone, too, but only so that you would not have had to endure such a trial. I do not regret that we were shown the In'aroans true colors in time to avoid a bad alliance.”</p><p> </p><p>“And they wouldn't listen to anybody. That wasn't just you.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith glanced up at Shiro's reassuring smile, then back down at his feet, and nodded. “Okay.”</p><p> </p><p>Allura removed her hand, and he took a couple of steps in Shiro's direction, a sudden wave of exhaustion causing him to stumble a bit over his own feet. Shiro caught him with an arm around his shoulders. <em>Danger danger danger! </em>went the alarms, and Keith squeezed his eyes shut against the feeling of being held in place, trying not to let his breathing get out of hand. <em>It's just Shiro. He's your </em>ani<em>, he's not going to hurt you.</em></p><p> </p><p>Thankfully Shiro seemed to notice his discomfort and slid his hand around to rest lightly on his upper back. “Hey, bud. I think we better get you to bed, huh? Hunk, would you mind bringing something light to eat to his room?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course! We had soup for dinner last night, so we could start with some of the broth from that. Does that sound okay, Keith?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure,” he managed to mumble around the growing fog of sleepiness. It had been so long since he had actually slept, a decent sleep not induced by a pod or a fever or passing out, he wasn't sure whether he would even last long enough to get to his room, much less to wait for food.</p><p> </p><p>Somehow he did make it there, though, guided by Shiro, who also prodded him into changing clothes instead of falling straight into the bed. Hunk brought by the broth, and the smell was enough to make Keith realize how ravenous he actually was. Shiro had to coax him into slowing down more than once before the bowl was empty. As soon as the bowl was out of his hands, though, he fell over onto his pillow.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you want me to stay?”</p><p> </p><p>Blinking up at Shiro, he swallowed and tried to think of an appropriate answer. “Um...I mean, you...you can if...if you want to.”</p><p> </p><p>His big brother gave him a sideways smile, and stooped down to be at eye level with him. “But do you want me to?”</p><p> </p><p>Keith hesitated, still not wanting to actually be needy enough to say 'yes', even though he knew he really didn't want to be alone again. “Do you mind?” he finally murmured.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course not.” Shiro immediately crawled onto the foot of the bed, leaning his back up against the wall, and Keith curled his legs up to give him more space. “You just try to get as much sleep as you can, and I'll be right here when you wake up.”</p><p> </p><p>.o.0.O.0.o.</p><p> </p><p>It didn't take long for him to fall asleep, and for the first time since he was captured it was a deep, dreamless sleep. For some reason, though, as soon as he woke up his thoughts went to Red, and he almost jumped up in a panic to demand what had happened to her. The only thing that held him back was the fact that Shiro appeared to be dozing with his head leaning back against the wall, and that the lion in question came to life in his head right away.</p><p> </p><p><em><b>Home. Safe.</b></em> The thoughts were accompanied by a mental image of the inside of her hangar, and Keith breathed a sigh of relief.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Good. I'm glad you made it back alright. Sorry I didn't check on you sooner. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <b>Paladin sleep. Paladin heal.</b>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He allowed a smile at her understanding. <em>Yeah. I'm gonna try my best.</em></p><p> </p><p>Apparently he must have stirred enough to wake Shiro despite his efforts, because when he looked his way again he was being watched. “Hey. Sorry. I was just...” He waved a hand in a vague circle. “Red.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro smiled knowingly. “Ah. She was worried about you. Kinda thought she was gonna run me over on the way back, trying to stay as close to you as she could.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith huffed a laugh, then pressed a hand to his stomach as it rumbled. “Think there's any more of that soup left?”</p><p> </p><p>“Why don't we go check?”</p><p> </p><p>Furrowing his brow, Keith pushed himself up to a sitting position, draping his arms across his knees. “I don't...really want to see anybody. I...I don't know what to say to them.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro studied him carefully. “Is this about...what happened earlier?”</p><p> </p><p>Keith picked at a loose thread on the blanket. “They already thought I was weird enough as it was. Now I've just proved to them that I'm even more of a freak than they realized.”</p><p> </p><p>“You're not a freak, Keith. And you're not weird, either...at least not anymore weird than the rest of us.” Keith snorted a little at that. “I'm pretty sure the only thing that they're thinking about you right now – besides that they're glad you're okay – is that you just went through something traumatic, and you're gonna need time to work through it. They understand. I promise.”</p><p> </p><p><em>How could they possibly understand? The most closed-off guy on the team just collapsed into hysterics like a little kid. I don't even want to know the conversations that went on when I left the room. </em>He didn't say any of that, though, just nodded non-committally and continued to play with the thread.</p><p> </p><p>“Was it...him?”</p><p> </p><p>He knew exactly who Shiro was referring to, even without looking up at his undoubtedly concerned expression. He-who-shall-not-be-named, the father of one of the worst foster homes he had stayed in. Shiro was the only one who had ever heard any of what had gone on in that house, and that had still only been a general summary for the most part.</p><p> </p><p>Keith sucked in a shaky breath. “I kept...seeing him. While I was in there. Sometimes in a dream...sometimes as a hallucination...” He rubbed a hand under his nose. “I guess it was the whole...cellar thing.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro's arm moved, and Keith snapped to attention to see it extended in invitation. He only hesitated a moment before scooting himself over and letting it pull him in.</p><p> </p><p>“I'm sorry, bud. As if the whole experience wasn't bad enough by itself...” He sighed heavily. “It makes sense, though, that your mind would connect the two.”</p><p> </p><p>“I guess.” Ducking his head further into Shiro's chest, he clenched his fists. “I just...I hate this.” Frustrated tears stung at his eyes, and he blinked them away furiously. “I hate that after everything...all our hard work...”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro tugged him in tighter. “It's okay. I know it's frustrating, but it'll get better. You've had temporary setbacks before, remember?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but that was–”</p><p> </p><p>“A long time ago, I know. But we'll get through this one just like we got through those. All your progress isn't gone, I promise. You just need to give yourself some time.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith's stomach decided to respond to that with an even louder grumble than before. Shiro laughed. “It sounds like we'd better go check on that soup now.”</p><p> </p><p>.o.0.O.0.o.</p><p> </p><p>Hunk was in the kitchen, because of course he was, Hunk was always in the kitchen when they weren't sleeping, training, or fighting Zarkon. He beamed at Keith and Shiro when they walked in. “Hey, guys! Did you have a nice nap?”</p><p> </p><p>“Um, yeah. I guess I did.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good! You're looking a little perkier now.” He waved the spoon in his hand. “You slept past lunch, and it's not quite dinner time yet. But if you need something to hold you over until then, you're welcome to whatever.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I think that would be a good idea. His stomach has been sounding a lot like Red,” Shiro joked.</p><p> </p><p>Keith shot him a harmless glare. “That broth was good. Maybe I'll try some of the actual soup, if there's any left?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yeah, man, help yourself. I'd get it for you, but I gotta keep stirring.” Hunk returned to his pot while Keith opened the cooling unit to find the soup.</p><p> </p><p>Shiro picked up a fruit out of the basket on the counter, one of the pink ones from Ketsuveron that looked like an apple but tasted like grapes. “I'm just gonna grab something to go, and catch up with Allura to see what our plans are. Let me know if you need anything, okay, Keith?”</p><p> </p><p>This time the glare he gave him was more exasperated than annoyed, a clear <em>I don't need you to baby me </em>that Shiro seemed to catch the meaning of, based on his cheeky smile before he left the room.</p><p> </p><p>Nothing was said between Hunk and Keith as they, respectively, stirred sauce and waited on soup to heat in the Altean version of a microwave. Keith had never been good at starting conversations, or carrying them, for that matter, and was most of the time perfectly comfortable in the silence. Hunk was generally rather talkative, but unlike Lance and Coran, didn't need for silence to constantly be filled in order to feel at ease. He also seemed to be good at reading people and situations, and had quickly picked up on Keith's less-than-sociable nature. The combination of those was what made him one of the paladins that Keith was the most okay with hanging around. Shiro was top of the list, of course, and Pidge might would have beat Hunk out for second place because of her shared love of quiet, if it weren't for the fact that Keith always felt like she would rather be alone than have him around.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn't until Keith had settled onto one of the stools to begin eating his soup that Hunk finally spoke up again. “So you like the soup? It was kinda experimental – although, of course, what out here in space isn't? – but it seems to have gone over pretty well.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, it's good.” Keith poked at a floating piece of meat with his spoon, trying to come up with something else to say. “It's... I like the spice.”</p><p> </p><p>Apparently he picked the right thing, because Hunk's face brightened. “Me, too! It's this crazy herb that I picked up at the market on...what was it? That huge blue planet? Anyway, Lance of course thought it needed twice as much spice, but Pidge would have killed me if I had put that much. It's good to know you like it. Though I bet pretty much anything would taste good after almost a week of prison food. I bet it was all goo, wasn't it? Or freeze-dried rations?”</p><p> </p><p>Keith frowned down at his bowl, trying not to think too hard about the hunger pangs that had been his near-constant companion. “Um...probably something like goo. Couldn't...really tell for sure.”</p><p> </p><p>Setting his sauce to the side and turning off the stove, Hunk turned to him and wrinkled his nose. “Wow, that bad, huh?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, it's just...it was in a bowl, I could see that much, but...” He ground the tip of his spoon down into the counter, trying to use that to distract himself instead of stabbing something like he was feeling inclined to. “I never actually ate any of it.”</p><p> </p><p>“You didn't eat anything the whole time?” Hunk looked as though someone had just slapped him in the face. “You said there was food, though, so why–”</p><p> </p><p>“I couldn't!” The exclamation came out a little harsher than it had needed to, and he drew in a deep breath to try and calm himself. “I just...I couldn't, okay? I don't...I don't wanna talk about it.”</p><p> </p><p>Neither of them spoke again for a minute, and Keith was about to apologize for his <em>stupid, stupid reaction, Hunk is the last person in the universe who deserves to be yelled at like that, </em>when the yellow paladin leaned his elbows on the counter across from him.</p><p> </p><p>“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you like that. That's one of my biggest faults, really, that I never know when to stop talking, when to stop asking questions. I'm supposed to be like, good with people? But sometimes I'm actually completely oblivious. I'm definitely not the kind of good with people that Lance is.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith actually laughed aloud at that, and Hunk snorted in return. “Well, you know, he's good with everybody except you. Anyway, I'm sorry I asked too many questions. You're definitely not obligated to talk about any of what happened to you if you don't want to. I'm not gonna push you anymore, but just know that...I'm here, if you ever decide you do want to talk, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Finally meeting Hunk's eyes, Keith gave a half-smile. “Thanks. I'm sorry I snapped. You were just curious, it's okay.”</p><p> </p><p>Hunk stopped kneading the dish towel that was in his hands and flipped it over his shoulder, straightening back up. “Well, you know what they say about curiosity. Anyway, I'm now making it my personal mission to make sure you eat enough to make up for last week. Speaking of which, I could use a taste tester for dinner. You up for the task?”</p><p> </p><p>.o.0.O.0.o.</p><p> </p><p>Keith would have never imagined that he could spend an entire varga just sitting in the kitchen with Hunk, but that's exactly what he ended up doing. The yellow paladin seemed determined to keep his mind off of his experience, once he had realized how much Keith didn't want to talk about it, and the distraction really was nice. The extra bits of food he was getting didn't hurt, either.</p><p> </p><p>Dinner passed without incident, as long as he didn't count Lance's complaints about his taste-testing credentials. Everyone chatted among themselves just like usual, allowing Keith to join in or avoid the conversation as much as he wanted. It was a little overwhelming to think about the fact that he had missed nearly two whole movements and had no idea what had been happening during that time, but from the bits and pieces he was picking up it sounded like things had been pretty quiet. Once the defenses had been taken care of, everyone had busied themselves with various projects around the Castle, while also taking turns keeping an eye on his pod. That last bit of information he wasn't sure how to feel about, so he kept his focus on his food and didn't say anything.</p><p> </p><p>After everyone was done eating, the three younger paladins transferred to the lounge for 'bonding time', while Shiro headed to the training deck and Allura and Coran disappeared to who knows where. Keith decided it was the perfect time to take the shower he had been acutely feeling the need for. By the time that was over, he was more than ready to crawl back into the bed.</p><p> </p><p>A knock came at the door just as he was pulling the blanket up over his legs. “Keith? You in there?”</p><p> </p><p>“You can come in.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro poked his head into the room, a towel draped around his neck. “Hey. I thought you might be headed to bed early. I'm about to go shower off, but I can come back when I'm done if you want.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, that's okay.” Keith shook his head. “I slept fine earlier, I think I'll be okay tonight, too.” Even if he didn't think that, he wasn't gonna force Shiro to give up the little sleep that the man usually got in order to babysit him.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure?” His eyebrows creased into a look of uncertainty and concern. “You know I don't mind.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I know. But I'm sure.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiro seemed hesitant to accept his answer, but began to back away from the door, regardless. “Alright. Well, I'll have my tablet on if you need me for anything. And I mean anything, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay.” As much as he didn't want to be babied, he did appreciate Shiro's support. “Thanks, Shiro.”</p><p> </p><p>Once again, he fell asleep quickly. This time, though, the peace didn't last.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Total darkness. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Stumbling down an endless hallway, constantly moving but going nowhere.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Voices, whispers from the shadows.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Shiro! Shiro, where are you?”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> A menacing growl. “Someone shut him up.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Hands, grabbing at him from nowhere and everywhere, pinning him to the ground, choking, smothering...</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Keith bolted upright in the bed, screaming through clenched teeth. The hands were suddenly gone, he could move, but it was still far too dark, and darkness meant that they could come back without warning. Darkness meant that thing was still on his face, and he couldn't breathe, <em>I can't breathe I can't breathe get it off get it off get it off–</em></p><p> </p><p>He hit the floor on his back, his legs still up above him, tangled in the blanket. He screamed again, still unable to open his mouth. <em>Let go of me get off get off I can't breathe... </em></p><p> </p><p>By the time his door flew open, he had managed to scramble backwards and wedge himself into the corner between the head of his bed and the wall, the blanket still wrapped around his feet and his hands gripping his hair. He heard someone's voice as if from a distance, but didn't register whose it was until Pidge's face appeared in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“Keith! Keith, it's okay, you're safe!”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>No I'm not, I can't breathe I can't breathe, Pidge help me please–</em>
</p><p> </p><p>She reached a hand out toward him, and he cringed violently backwards. Her eyes went a little wider and she froze. “It's okay. I promise. I'm not gonna...” Seeming to rethink what she was doing, she suddenly backed away from him, reaching for something he couldn't focus on.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Please don't leave me Pidge, please–</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Shiro! I need you in Keith's room, now!” Pidge turned back to Keith, still keeping her distance, but with a look of sympathy on her face. “It's okay, Keith. Shiro's on his way. You're safe.”</p><p> </p><p>It was either a split second or an eternity later that Shiro swung through the door at top speed, skidding to a stop to pant for breath and take in the scene. Just seeing his brother there automatically made Keith feel a little better, because he knew Shiro would protect him from the hands that wanted to come after him in the dark, but he still couldn't breathe right and his chest hurt so bad.</p><p> </p><p>Then Shiro reached over and hit a button on the wall, and the room was flooded with light. Nearly blinded, Keith pressed the back of his hand to the bridge of his nose, but then he blinked. Once, twice, three times. <em>Light. </em>There was light here.</p><p> </p><p>When he moved his hand, Shiro was hovering in front of him. “Hey, bud. You see where you are?”</p><p> </p><p>Keith's eyes darted around the lit room. His room. The Castle of Lions. He gave a minute nod, his heaving breaths slowing down just a bit.</p><p> </p><p>“Good. You know you're safe then, right? Nothing bad can get to you here, and we're all with you. You just had a bad dream, okay?”</p><p> </p><p><em>Then why can't I breathe? It's still there, it's on my face, I feel it. </em>He whimpered pitifully in his throat, wanting to ask but unable to.</p><p> </p><p>Shiro tilted his head to the side, watching him. “You're okay. You're doing good.” He paused, taking some over-exaggerated deep breaths for Keith to try to emulate. “Can you talk to me, buddy?”</p><p> </p><p>Keith shook his head furiously, unsure of why Shiro wasn't getting it, and grunted a couple of times to try to make his point. Shiro's frown grew even deeper, but then a look of understanding came over his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Keith...it's gone. It's...the muzzle isn't there anymore. Look. I'm gonna touch your face, okay?” He reached forward very slowly, and Keith trembled as he watched the hand approach. Even so, he couldn't help the flinch when the fingers finally brushed his...</p><p> </p><p><em>Skin. </em>Shiro's fingers were touching his skin. He drew them gently down the side of his nose and next to his mouth, then stroked his thumb across his chin. Suddenly the phantom sensation of the muzzle vanished, and Keith let his cramping jaw fall open with a sob.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. There you go.” Shiro's hand slid around into the hair on the back of his head. “You're okay.”</p><p> </p><p>Falling forward into the broad, familiar, chest, Keith let himself gulp in air while tears ran freely down his cheeks. <em>Safe, I'm safe, it's over, I'm safe.</em></p><p> </p><p>“They muzzled him?” Pidge's whisper was full of horror, but Keith was more focused on the fact that he had forgotten she was there, witnessing yet another of his meltdowns. Shame burned through him.</p><p> </p><p>“Not right now, Pidge.”</p><p> </p><p>“Right. Sorry. I'm...gonna leave you two be.”</p><p> </p><p>As much as he didn't want to face her right now, he owed her. If she hadn't heard him and gotten Shiro, he probably would have ended up passing out from his panic attack again. Extracting himself from Shiro's arms, he sat up quickly before she could leave the room. “Pidge.”</p><p> </p><p>She turned to look at him, and he took note of the fact that she was still dressed and wearing her glasses. At least maybe he hadn't woken her, then, she had probably been sitting on her bed working on some project. He was a bit surprised that his other neighbor, Lance, hadn't made an appearance, too, but he did like to sleep with headphones on.</p><p> </p><p>Swallowing, he dropped his gaze to her feet. “Thanks. And...sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“For what, a nightmare? We all get them sometimes. You don't have to apologize.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but–” Glancing back up, he was met with crossed arms and a stern expression. “Yeah. Okay. Just...thanks.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course.” Her lips turned upward slightly. “You know we're all here for you, anytime.”</p><p> </p><p>She was the second of the paladins to say something like that to him. In the past he would have dismissed it as a platitude, but based on the way they had been treating him, it almost seemed sincere. Not that he was about to start blabbing all his secrets and feelings to them anytime soon.</p><p> </p><p>Pidge exited, leaving Keith under Shiro's piercing 'big brother' gaze. “I... The lights were still on, when I went to sleep. I didn't even think about it. Then I dreamed...a-and when I woke up, it was still dark, and...”</p><p> </p><p>“I get it. It's okay.” Shiro gently squeezed his knee. “The Castle hadn't shifted into night mode yet when you went to sleep, but when it did it must have automatically switched your lights off. We can talk to Coran about getting that fixed.”</p><p> </p><p>“This is ridiculous, though.” Keith buried his face in his hands. “I can't be scared of the dark like some baby. I'm a Paladin of Voltron, for quiznack's sake.”</p><p> </p><p>“Right now, you're an eighteen year old kid who went through a traumatic experience. You can worry about being a Paladin of Voltron later, once you've had time to heal.” Shiro sighed. “You've been out of the healing pod for less than a day, bud. Cut yourself some slack.”</p><p> </p><p>.o.0.O.0.o.</p><p> </p><p>After that, despite the fact that Keith always made sure his lights were set to stay on during the night cycle, Shiro insisted on camping out on a pallet next to his bed every night. Keith felt horrible about it, but at the same time it was such a relief to have him there when nightmares woke him. And wake him they did. Not every night, necessarily, and not many of them as bad as the first one had been, but there were certainly plenty of them.</p><p> </p><p>Still, despite a lack of sleep, he felt himself getting back to normal during the day. True to his word, Hunk fed him until he was feeling strong again, and eventually he was allowed back onto the training deck and was able to work quickly back up to the gladiator level he had been on before. He had even been out in Red a couple of times for battles, though they hadn't taken on any more planet-side missions yet. There was a good chance that Allura and Shiro had purposefully been avoiding those in order to give him more time, but he was okay with that. Overall, the others had stopped tiptoeing around him, acting like he might be triggered at any moment. That was the most important thing. If they were pretending everything was normal, then it made it easier for him to do so, too.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn't until over a movement later that the illusion was broken. Keith was on one of the lower levels of the Castle, digging through a storage room for some flubbacka-whats-it that Coran wanted. The man was working on the ship's mechanics, and Keith had been the lucky soul roped into helping him that afternoon.</p><p> </p><p>“It's about yea long, looks like a baukaber's hairbrush, and it's in a big, silver box. Can't miss it,” Coran had said. “I'm not precisely sure which storage room it's in, though. Could be the one on the second floor...or the third...or maybe the seventeenth.”</p><p> </p><p>“Or the twelfth, or the twentieth?” Keith had groaned.</p><p> </p><p>“No, don't be silly. Those storage rooms are for exercise equipment and holiday decorations, not for tools!”</p><p> </p><p>Since they were already in the belly of the ship, Keith had started there, checking the third floor first before taking the elevator down to the second. He wasn't even sure he would recognize the thing if it fell off a shelf and smacked him in the face, but he didn't want to let Coran down. The quiet was nice, at least, and all was going well until the room was suddenly plunged into darkness and the door slammed shut.</p><p> </p><p>Right away his breath caught in his throat, then started up again in a rapid pant. “No, no no no no no...” <em>It's okay. It's just some kind of malfunction. Coran probably hit something he wasn't supposed to. </em>He knew that, he knew it, but that didn't stop the shadows from looming at him from every side. Tripping over boxes that he could barely see, he staggered to the closed door and fell up against it, slamming his hand into the control switch over and over again despite the fact that it was no longer lit up and activated.</p><p> </p><p><em>Please, no, I don't wanna be in here. </em>“Hello?” he yelled, knowing that no one was anywhere near to hear him. “Anybody? I'm...I'm stuck, I'm...” <em>Locked in, I'm locked in and I can't get out. </em></p><p> </p><p>Reality was beginning to slip away. The scenario was far too familiar. He pressed his forehead up against the cool door, digging his fingertips down into the metal. “Please! Please don't lock me in here.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Shut up, you little brat! You shut that mouth this instant or I'll come in there and really give you something to cry about!</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Sucking in a shaky breath that wanted to be a sob, Keith covered his mouth with one hand, dropping his voice to a whisper. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'll be good, I promise.”</p><p> </p><p>But <em>no, no he's not here, he can't be. I'm in the Castle. I'm not there anymore. </em>He took one wobbly step backwards, then another. So why had this happened, then? Why was he locked in yet again? Someone on the ship must have done it, maybe because he was Galra, maybe because of something he had done wrong. That must be it. He was always doing something wrong. He didn't know how to be normal like the rest of them, to socialize and have fun and get along with everyone. They had probably gotten sick of him, just like that man always did.</p><p> </p><p>His trembling legs ceased to support him, and he sank down between two large crates, curling up into a ball. A couple of tears escaped his eyes, and he dug his face down into his knees to hide them. <em>Don't cry. Crying's pathetic. They won't like it if you cry. They'll leave you in here even longer.</em></p><p> </p><p>“I'm sorry. I'll be good. Please don't leave me here. I'll be good.” Rocking himself back and forth, he whispered the pleas into his lap in a constant stream.</p><p> </p><p>.o.0.O.0.o.</p><p> </p><p>That's how Lance found him a while later. Somehow he managed to get the storage room door open, despite the lack of power, but Keith didn't stop his chant until he sensed someone settling onto the floor in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“Keith? Hey, buddy, can you hear me?”</p><p> </p><p>He raised his voice just a little, the words wavering in his overused throat. “I'll be good, I promise. Please don't leave me here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Quiznack,” Lance murmured. He cleared his throat. “Hey, uh...it's okay. There's... You didn't do anything wrong, okay? Coran just kinda accidentally blew something up and we lost all the lights and stuff in the Castle. Thankfully not all the power, or else, you know, we'd be floating around and freezing to death and running out of oxygen. But yeah. It's not your fault. It was just an accident.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith listened, but he didn't know how to respond. Of course it was his fault...wasn't it? Why else would he be locked in here in the dark? Obviously he had done something wrong.</p><p> </p><p>“You're, uh...you're still in the Castle, nobody's like, mad at you or anything, it was just... Quiznack, I'm no good at this. I don't know what I'm doing.” He paused for a moment before taking a breath and starting again. “Anyway, as soon as the lights went out we all started looking for you, 'cause, you know, we were worried that something...like this...might happen, but then even when we found Coran he wasn't exactly sure where you were, so...sorry it took so long to get to you.”</p><p> </p><p>Even if he hadn't been speaking such reassuring words, just the sound of Lance's voice was steadily bringing Keith back to reality. Lance was here. Everyone had been looking for him. Maybe he wasn't in trouble. He hadn't done anything wrong, it was all just a freak accident.</p><p> </p><p>“The others are probably still running around like mad trying to find you. I should probably–”</p><p> </p><p>“You were worried about me?” Keith lifted his head and managed the tiniest of smirks. “So you do care.”</p><p> </p><p>Lance stared at him, wide-eyed, for a moment, as if he couldn't believe that Keith was actually making a joke. Then he snorted and crossed his arms. “Well, don't let it go to your head. I'm not planning on making a habit of it.”</p><p> </p><p><em>No, of course not. </em>Despite his attempt to be lighthearted, the rebuff struck him the wrong way. It was always unpredictable, how he would take Lance's insults. Sometimes he could ignore them, let them roll off of him, at least until he was lying in the bed at night and questioning his own existence. Other times they hit far too close to home. Now was one of those times, but he didn't have the energy to throw an insult right back, so he just dropped his forehead back down onto his knees.</p><p> </p><p>“Dude...you know I'm joking, right? Of course I was worried about you. I mean, I didn't know exactly what might happen, but Shiro and Pidge said you had been having a hard time with flashbacks, so...”</p><p> </p><p>Keith curled in on himself a little tighter, ashamed.</p><p> </p><p>“Can't blame you for that, though. It made me so mad, when I saw what they had done to you. That had to be so scary, man. I know I would have been freaking out if it were me.”</p><p> </p><p><em>Why is he being so...nice? He's never this nice to me. </em>Raising his head again, Keith watched him carefully as he continued to ramble, using his hands to talk.</p><p> </p><p>“I mean of course you knew we were coming for you eventually, but that doesn't mean it was any less scary in the meantime.” Lance stopped abruptly and stared at him, his brow creased. “You...did know we were coming for you...right?”</p><p> </p><p>Put on the spot, Keith darted his eyes to the side as he tried to fumble a reply. “Uh...yes? I mean...yeah, I...of course I did, I...” <em>Crap, I'm such a terrible liar. </em>“I...assumed?”</p><p> </p><p>Lance did not look impressed with this answer. “You didn't think we were gonna come for you.”</p><p> </p><p>“No! I...” He heaved a sigh, figuring that as close to the truth as possible would be best. “I knew Shiro would look for me. And...I'm the Red Paladin. So...I figured that getting me out was probably easier than, you know, finding a new one.”</p><p> </p><p>For a few ticks Lance just gaped at him, then he almost exploded. “Dude! Are you kidding me? I mean, yeah, of course Shiro was leading the charge, but that doesn't mean the rest of us didn't want to find you just as much! You're one of us, you're like...you're part of this weird little family that we've got going. We're not just gonna leave you behind, whether it's the easiest thing to do or not. Would you have left me, or any of the others there, if the roles were switched?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, of course not, but–”</p><p> </p><p>“But what? But somehow it's different because it's you? But you're the lone wolf Mullet who doesn't need any help?”</p><p> </p><p>“You don't even like me!” The admission, accusation, whatever one might call it, burst out of him in a near yell, and Lance fell quiet. Keith avoided his eyes, reducing his words to a mumble. “Nobody really does, except Shiro, and I still haven't quite figured out why he does, either. I'm weird, I'm emo, I'm Galra. I'm not anything like the rest of you. I don't get along with people, I never have.” He drew in a long, slow breath, then released it. “I don't know why I have to explain this to you, anyway. You remind me of all these things constantly.”</p><p> </p><p>There was silence for a long moment before Lance spoke softly. “I didn't like you. To start with. I'll admit that. That's...that's a long story, and it's really not important right now. Maybe...maybe I'll tell you another time. But that was back at the beginning, before we...” He let out a shuddering breath, and Keith quickly cut his eyes over, wondering with trepidation if he was about to cry.</p><p> </p><p>“I...I thought we were friends. All this time, I... If I had known that you were actually bothered by the stuff I say, I would have been more careful. I thought...that was just our thing, ya know? I mean, I guess I should have known, because sometimes you say stuff that actually bothers me, so I should have known that it went both ways.” He shrugged, staring down at his hands. “But teasing each other was just always our thing. It's a lot like the way me and my siblings interact. It's...how I came to realize that you actually were pretty down-to-earth and had a decent sense of humor. I didn't realize you didn't like it.”</p><p> </p><p>They fell quiet again. Keith's mind, already still dealing with the aftermath of his meltdown, was whirling with all of the new information and the implications it brought. <em>Lance...likes me? Is my friend...treats me like his sibling? He doesn't actually hate me?</em></p><p> </p><p>“I'm sorry,” he said finally.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry for what?”</p><p> </p><p>“Saying things that bother you. I do it on purpose, to try to get back at you for the things you say.”</p><p> </p><p>Lance shrugged again. “I don't blame you. I do it on purpose sometimes, too, if I'm actually mad. I wish you'd have just told me that you didn't like it, though.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith huffed. “I don't do heart to hearts very well.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, no kidding.” Lance cracked a smile. “Though I guess we're not doing half bad at it today.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith stopped to consider what else had been said for a moment. “I don't...not like it, by the way. The...teasing. I mean, if I think about it...sometimes it actually is kinda...fun. Or it would be, if I didn't...you know...actually think you meant all of it.”</p><p> </p><p>Taking in a deep breath, Lance sat up straighter. “So. A truce, then? We can still have fun being idiots and teasing each other. We'll still be rivals. But if it starts to get out of hand...if either of us isn't having fun anymore...we tell each other. Maybe...maybe we can have some kind of code, like...like...'The Blue Lion is the greatest!'”</p><p> </p><p>Keith glared at him, ready to retort, but quickly thought of a better idea. “If I have to say that, then you have to say 'The Red Lion is the greatest'.” Lance sputtered, and he held up a hand to stop him from protesting. “You talk about how great your lion is all the time. It only works as a code if it's something that neither of us would normally say.”</p><p> </p><p>Crossing his arms, Lance pouted, but finally rolled his eyes and nodded. “Alright, fine. It's a deal. Come on, let's swear on it.”</p><p> </p><p>He held out his pinky finger, and Keith gave him a deadpan stare. “A pinky swear? Really?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just do it, Mullet!” Sighing, Keith offered his own pinky, and Lance clasped it vigorously with his own. “Good. Okay. Now, why don't we get out of this closet? I really should let the others know that I found you.”</p><p> </p><p>As much as Keith had wanted out of this room a few dobashes earlier, now the thought of wandering through the darkened ship filled him with trepidation. Lance must have seen something in his expression as he regarded the door warily, because he softened his voice. “At least let's go sit in the hall? It isn't any brighter, really, but it's more open. And doesn't smell like must.”</p><p> </p><p>Keith reluctantly agreed, and stood on shaky legs. He watched as Lance pulled out his tablet and tapped out a quick message, then followed him out into the hallway, where they settled side by side against the wall. It was a little better out there, he had to admit. Even though he couldn't see the high ceiling and the ends of the corridor, he could feel the expanse of space around him.</p><p> </p><p>“You must think I'm pretty stupid, huh? Being scared of the dark.”</p><p> </p><p>Lance groaned. “Didn't we just establish that I don't mean most of the insults I throw at you? And I'm pretty sure I also already talked about how much I would have been freaking out if it had been me that had gotten locked in that place.”</p><p> </p><p>“It's...not just that, though.” <em>What am I doing? </em>Never before had he wanted to tell anyone anything about his past. He had never spoken about his dad, or his missing mom, or his time in the foster system to anyone except Shiro, and even that had been minimal bits of information dragged out of him or mentioned accidentally. But somehow, for some reason, right now he wanted to tell Lance. He wanted to open up, even if it was just this once, to give back a little of the friendship and trust that these people had offered him.</p><p> </p><p>Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back onto the wall. “When I was a kid, I had this...foster home. Married couple. Had one kid of their own. I don't know whose idea it was to take in fosters – she pretty much ignored my existence, and he hated me. Maybe it was her idea, because I think he probably beat her and the son before I got there. With me there, they got to escape his notice for the most part.”</p><p> </p><p>He swallowed, furrowing his brow, and stopped himself from going too far off topic, into too much detail. “He used to lock me in the cellar. There was a light in there, one of those single light bulbs with the string hanging down, but it was too high for me to reach.” His eyes still closed, he shrugged with one shoulder. “I don't know how long he'd leave me in there. Different every time, I guess. Overnight a few times, I know that. Once it was a whole weekend. If I made too much noise, he'd bring his belt and...and then I'd have to stay for even longer.</p><p> </p><p>“So yeah. That's my sob story, I guess. It wasn't too long after that when I met Shiro. I don't think I was as messed up about the dark then as I am right now, but I definitely wouldn't let anybody touch me. He worked with me for...ages, it seemed like, trying to get me to trust him. And I mean, it was never perfect. You've probably noticed that touch is still not really my thing, even before all of this mess. But...yeah. It sucks, that this has kinda...brought all of that back. Shiro says I've just gotta give myself time to get over it.”</p><p> </p><p>The soft sounds of footsteps approaching more than once during his story had not escaped his attention, so he wasn't surprised when he opened his eyes and he and Lance were no longer alone. He hadn't expected to see literally everyone, though, including Allura and Coran, all sitting around the little section of hallway and watching him with glistening eyes. His stomach gave a little lurch at realizing that they knew, <em>everybody knows now, what are they going to think of you, </em>but he forced himself to keep breathing steadily and stay calm. <em>This is what I wanted. I wanted to open up. It's good that they all heard...right?</em></p><p> </p><p>Lance gave a little cough, and he turned his head to look at him. “Can I...hug you?”</p><p> </p><p>Keith's eyes widened in surprise, but he managed a nod. Lance lifted his arms slowly, telegraphing his movements, but didn't hesitate once they were around Keith's shoulders to pull him in tightly.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you for telling me,” he whispered.</p><p> </p><p>Squeezing his eyes shut again, Keith wrapped his own arms around Lance's back, and breathed out a sigh of relief.</p><p> </p><p>“Um, can I get in on this? 'Cause after that I think I really need a Keith hug, too.” Without looking, Keith opened up one of his arms, and Hunk immediately made himself at home, enveloping both boys.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, stop hogging him, I'm coming in, too.” Pidge squirmed herself up underneath Hunk's arm so that both her arms and legs were wrapped around Keith from behind.</p><p> </p><p>Shiro was next, Hunk shifting a bit so that they could share the side, and his metal hand came to rest on the top of Keith's head.</p><p> </p><p>“This is what you call a 'group hug', yes?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yep, come on, Allura.” Keith's voice was muffled from inside the pile, but his point got across, because the princess was soon draping herself over the top of them all, seeming to try to touch as many of them as she could manage. Her arm ended up across his shoulder and the back of his neck.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, then, I'll just...come in over here...” Somehow Coran managed to squeeze himself in between the paladins and the wall while only causing a few bruises here and there, and promptly laid his head on Keith's other shoulder while snaking his arms around the others.</p><p> </p><p>“You know we all love you, right, Keith?” Shiro asked from somewhere above his head.</p><p> </p><p>Keith breathed in deeply, taking in the too-warm air around him that smelled a bit of sweat and perfume and aftershave and whatever Hunk had been cooking for dinner, and thought about how his team had been showing their affection over the last quintants. “Yeah. I'm...beginning to get that.”</p><p> </p><p>There were more hands and arms and heads and legs touching him in that moment than had ever been on him before. Pidge was squeezing him so tightly his lungs couldn't even expand all the way. He should have been freaking out, should have been fighting to get loose and not have a panic attack.</p><p> </p><p>But somehow, he found he really didn't mind.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Everyone who comments gets to join in the group hug!  Feel free to specify where you'd like to be squeezed in.  </p><p>I'm so happy that my first foray into the VLD fandom was so well received.  I have a hundred more ideas floating around in my head, mostly Keith-centric, all angsty and whumpy, maybe some involving OCs because even though I don't read those stories too often I do enjoy writing them...point is, I'll be back.  It may be a while, though, because I'm currently in the middle of trying to write the last book of my Kingdom Hearts trilogy and can't really afford to ignore it since people are waiting on me.  But hopefully I've satiated your need for Keith whump for now!</p><p>If you want, you can buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/actress4Him</p><p>Thank you, again, for all your support!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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